You will surely have noticed if you are from Ile-de-France or even a resident of Hauts-de-France, for example, taking the train, metro or RER is currently a daily challenge. Serial breakdowns, overcrowded trains, overcrowded and exasperated passengers, start of fights… nothing goes well on railway (and social…) networks.
The organizations that manage the networks try to inform the users as much as possible. With its apps in real time, but also with the sound messages broadcast on the station. Which nobody really understands since the explanations are cryptic (even inaudible). Try to figure out…
• “Suspicious package” and “abandoned luggage”
This is perhaps the easiest information to understand. A traveler has forgotten a suitcase when getting off the train or a piece of luggage ends up alone on the platform. In this case, the RATP and the SNCF will have to put in place a strict procedure that results in a significant slowdown in traffic (or even its stoppage) for at least one hour.
It is the police who take charge of the incident with the help of sniffer dogs or even deminers sent to the scene. It is necessary to wait for all doubts to be removed before traffic can be resumed.
• “Signalling fault”
Generally, such a message does not herald anything good. But nobody really understands what it is. Signaling is at the heart of the operation of rail networks. It allows respecting the minimum safety distance between two trains thanks to sensors or beacons on the track.
As soon as something anomalous is detected (from an object on the track to an electrical fault…), as a safety measure, the traffic light turns red to stop the trains and check what is happening.
The driver contacts the PC which gives him instructions. Either traffic stops, or it slows down a lot because faulty signals are crossed on a case-by-case basis (train by train), after more or less lengthy checks depending on the affected signal.
• “Operating Incident” and “Operating Difficulties”
This is kind of a blanket excuse to justify slowdowns. It can be a track problem (change), a stationary train, a stuck door, people on the tracks, an alarm signal sounded on board a train…
• “For several incidents”
It doesn’t get any darker. In reality, the “miscellaneous incidents” correspond to a set of incidents with multiple consequences: malfunctioning and signalling, breakdown and passenger discomfort… Generally, this accumulation causes significant slowdowns and more than crowded trains.
• “Traveler’s Incident” or “Traveler’s Sickness”
Fainting or heat stroke on board a train: alerted, the driver is obliged to stop to see the problem. Or the traveler can be escorted to the platform to be assisted by firefighters (with the support of an agent). in this case, the train can restart after a few minutes of immobilization. Or the user cannot be evacuated: in this case you have to wait for help on board and, logically, the traffic slows down considerably.
• “Serious travel accident”
This information includes a large number of serious incidents involving a passenger: suicide, fall on the tracks with injuries, passenger trapped between the train and the platform… Currently, traffic is stopped on important sections of the line and recovery may take several hours.
• “Delay in preparation”
This justification concerns more the SNCF. The train that must run may be incomplete or the driver, a controller, may be missing. This leads to serial delays.
“As long as everything is not gathered inside the train, it cannot leave because it does not respect the conditions of departure”, explains the SNCF. These delays cause a ripple effect that can then be felt throughout the day.
Source: BFM TV
