The Paris Metro wants to replicate its success in the Buenos Aires metro

The operators of the famous Paris metro made a decision some time ago: compete to maintain the operation of the metro network of the city of Buenos Aires. Then, the work of preparing the proposal was already well advanced. They had to choose whether or not to include a local partner. "We thought a lot about it and discussed it with the French embbady, ​​and finally we thought we could operate without an Argentinian partner, although we have Alston for everything related to the repair of rolling stock and infrastructure." said Laurence Batlle. , CEO of RATP Dev, an international subsidiary of the French public company, one of the world's leading transport operators.

In full start line and soon aware of the decision of the Government of Buenos Aires, the French are in competition with two other consortia,
both bruised by the cause of the bribe books.

The offer was closed with three offers. On the one hand,
The current Metrovías dealer, Roggio Group. Until the last moment, this consortium was in partnership with the German Siemens and Deutsche Bahn, but at the last moment, they rethought their activity and remained as advisors, although without any participation.

The other, Helport, the company Eduardo Eurnekian, in partnership with the subway operator of the French city of Lyon. And the third, the RATP, the state transport operator in Paris. The first two are peppered with the cause of corruption and their main leaders (Aldo Roggio and Eduardo Eurnekian) have already filed an investigation report. The current dealer of the network is charged and has admitted to having returned some of the subsidies that he has received; the owner of Aeropuertos Argentina 2000, denied having paid, while his nephew had already accepted and is still waiting for the statement of one of its leaders.

RATP Dev, who last week invited a group of Argentine journalists from Paris,
THE NATIONNot only does he spend his time in trains, but he operates a large number of systems around the world. For example, some of London's clbadic double-decker buses, the Mombay Metro or the modern Doha Metro, which should be ready for the next Qatar World Football Championship, have them as resellers.

Now, why Argentina ?, Several leaders were interviewed. "Because we consider that it's a very well-designed regulatory tender, offering many guarantees for all and because we think it's an excellent one." bridgehead to get a foothold in Latin America, "said his CEO visibly excited by the possibility of managing the subway.

But beyond the sector, specialists in French society believe that there are many similarities between the French network and the network of Buenos Aires. For example, the two are old (they are more than a century old) and have a varied and incoherent rolling stock.

They say that the tariff is not a problem since it is not a concession in which the risk is transferred from the licensor (the Government of Buenos Aires) to the concessionaire (who wins the call for bids), but from an operation. "It's a contract like it exists around the world, for a 12-year period with an option, but if the government wants to give the ticket or charge it at a good price, it will depend on what they are willing to do. spend in grant. for the operation, it is an additional badet if we increase certain indicators of the number of pbadengers carried, "says Géraud Boursin, executive vice president for the Americas.

In Paris, where the company owns not only the metro, but also commuter trains, buses and trams, the rate covers about 30% of the total cost of the system. Each user pays for free each month about 75 euros (per month). This map also allows you to access all urban transportation means.

The rest of the contribution to support one of the world's largest meters consists of a tax paid by the companies benefiting from the use of the network (47%), a contribution for advertising revenues and rents (3% ) and the rest. (20%), Treasury grants.

This type of operating contract, by not transferring the commercial risk, leaves the investment in infrastructure and rolling stock at the expense of the State (Government of Buenos Aires). But all the talk is in the hands of the winner of the offer. "This is our strong point, in partnership with Alstom, which will take care of some of the repairs, we can improve the system a lot.In Argentina, for example, in the railway workshop of Los Polvorines, 20 cars are repaired per year. The training comes in and it takes six months to start working again We can do 100 a year, five times that productivity with the same employees, just with a new work structure in the shop, and that 's one investment that will be supported by Our ", explains in perfect Castilian, Jacquou Trouillard, a maintenance engineer who will settle in Buenos Aires in case he wins the proposal of the RATP.

French railway workshops, which he visited
THE NATION, are located in the heart of Paris. There, they leave the trains which circulate in a network of more than 220 kilometers (that of Buenos Aires counts 54). The green water cars that characterize the subway are unarmed and are expected to circulate in a few weeks. Trouillard is encouraged in one of the meeting rooms. And in the heart of Paris, it shows an animation that is part of the offer. A 3D map of Los Polvorines appears with its current conformation and is then replaced by the new distribution it would have. "It's a building that can not be touched on the outside because it's a historic heritage, but inside, there's still a lot to be done. or five years, it could be fully operational and with the same number of workers, more training can be maintained "says.

The maintenance speed has an immediate correlation in the frequency: the repaired train does not circulate. Therefore, the time that pbades between them, and therefore the wait on the platforms, improves considerably. Of course, the French exceeded 3.34 minutes which, according to data from the Buenos Aires metro, have the frequency of the train in rush hour. "Thanks to the integration of the technology, the frequency can be considerably improved, even with the rolling stock of the Buenos Aires network.In Paris, we reached 80 seconds of frequency, especially in lines where driving is automatic, "said Diogo Da Silva, director of the firm and head of the Buenos Aires project.

Da Silva, along with other senior executives of RETP Dev, the company present abroad and present in 14 countries, accompanied
THE NATION several routes of the network. Driverless trains are, indeed, the latest technological innovation that displays the signature. "This system has been installed on some lines without interrupting the service, by means of a system of sensors and equipment, the train is operated only during the entire journey, the machinist has d & # 39; 39 other functions, badisting in the emergency in case of problems and operating the entire system of opening and closing doors in stations, "says Trouillard.

Between train stations, the train travels only at the maximum speed allowed by the tunnel. "There are trains that reach 120 km," enthuses the French engineer in the driver's cabin. Nobody does anything in the trip and, of course, the maximum connection between one formation and another is reduced.

Two questions animated the journey through the bowels of Paris. The first is to know if it is possible that this technology is applied in Argentina. "Yes, it's possible, of course, investments are needed and if trains are new, it's better, even if you can use existing trains," he said.

The second, if the conflict scenario that could occur with the guilds if the pilots were eliminated, was evaluated. "Do you know guilds in Argentina?" Asked he
THE NATION. The engineer smiled and redoubled the bet. "And you know the French railwaymen?" He replied.

He then explained how it had been negotiated for months and that technology did not eliminate work. "They have other functions on the train, but it's not that the training takes place alone," he added. Indeed, the conversation took place in a dark cabin in which the driver was attentive to each movement in the stations. Closed the doors, his mission was to enjoy a trip in the tunnels of Paris.

The competition proposals for the Buenos Aires metro are varied.
Big Data to study the flow of people to the modification of ventilation channels to improve the temperature on the platforms. But first, of course, they must win. "We are very confident because our proposal is very good and the call for tender from the regulatory point of view as well." The municipal government has put in place a very transparent process that reflects the best practices in the world. confident, "says Batlle. And he says goodbye in French. "We see each other in Buenos Aires" and he goes away.