It is a smiling, relaxed candidate, a bit mischievous who presented himself Tuesday evening before the senators. And as he has just been confirmed this Wednesday after his second hearing at the Assembly, the future president of the RATP, Jean Castex, nevertheless risks laughing out loud when he lands at the headquarters of the Régie, a stone’s throw from the Gare de Lyon. Because for his baptism of fire, the former prime minister will face a tough strike on Thursday with total line closures on a good half of the Parisian network. “A strike is offered to you as a welcome gift”, even launched him a bit mockingly Philippe Tabarot, the senator LR of the Alpes-Maritimes, who did not hide his favorable opinion on this project of appointment of which he is the rapporteur at the Luxembourg Palace.
For the former LR mayor of Prades, who had already presented himself to Parliament this summer for a first appointment at the head of the Agency for the financing of transport infrastructures in France (Afit), there was no need to sell his “transport” fiber to elected officials, all convinced that his daily journeys (and noticed!) in the Paris metro, are not just opportunism. “But this new candidacy, three months after Afit, questions us”, immediately dropped Jean-François Longeot, senator from Doubs and the UDI president of the regional planning commission, as if to tell him that if the audience was a priori favorable to him, he would not escape an explanation session on this sudden recasing driven by the Elysée. It was then an almost jubilant Jean Castex who defended himself. “I don’t aspire to change jobs every three months, but I’m happy to run for this great company. When the executive asked me if I was interested, I spontaneously answered positively. L “Afit it is five agents, there are 70,000 employees, it is not the same challenge”, retorted Jean Castex.
“Generalize line automation”
The one who is therefore preparing to take over the management of the world’s third largest urban transport operator, faced with heavy social, managerial, political and financial challenges, will take on the problems one after the other. Human resources are “the first subject on the table”, he said, while the public company is struggling to recruit drivers and has to deal with numerous work stoppages which have plagued the transport plan of 25 % last month as vehemently regretted by the LR president of Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), Valérie Pécresse, first customer of the RATP. He gives himself “three weeks to establish a shared diagnosis”, and will logically devote his first interview to him once officially elected.
His first visit will be in the north-east of Paris at the operational coordination center where part of the network security is managed. Crack, theft, aggression, Jean Castex does not elude the daily life of users. That’s why he promises more agents in the field. “We must humanize this public service”, he promised, stressing that even the security staff, 958 agents expected at the end of 2022, had difficulty recruiting (920 positions currently occupied). His method will remain the same as the one he applied to Matignon: “Listening, consultation and proximity. We must avoid changing at my age”, joked the candidate, handling as usual humor and good words to avoid annoying questions.
Former LR candidate Valérie Pecresse during a meeting in Paris, March 1, 2022
afp.com/Sameer Al-DOUMY
Regarding his larger projects, the former Prime Minister does not underestimate the enormous investments that the network needs to ensure both the rate of trains and the comfort of users. “Punctuality, regularity, cleanliness, security, quality of information, ticketing site, the diversification that RATP has operated makes sense but should not divert from our priority mission”, explained Jean Castex. It therefore does not intend to reconsider the conquest policy of the RATP Dev subsidiary, which is applying for markets in France and abroad while its own monopolistic network (bus, tram, metro) is gradually open to competition between 2025 and 2040.
And Jean Castex to take the example of the proven efficiency of the automation of metro lines (1, 4 and 14 in the lead). “We must generalize this,” said the former Prime Minister. To do this, he will have to go and claim budget lines from the State. However, its dialogue will be strictly framed by the High Authority for Transparency in Public Life (HATVP), whose favorable opinion on his appointment at the end of October was accompanied by considerable vigilance with regard to his exchanges with his former ministers. Reassured by the HATVP on what he could and should not do in the matter, Jean Castex knows that he will have to “release new resources in relation to the trajectory voted in the Mobility Orientation Law”.
Only, as major events such as the Rugby World Cup (2023) and the Olympic Games (2024) loom, with days when a million additional travelers are expected on the already ultra-busy network, the future president of the RATP will also have to deal with the explosion of energy prices. In 2021, the Régie had paid 210 million euros in electricity bills. In 2022, it expects to end the year around 265 million euros. But for 2023, the lights are red with a budgeted range that oscillates between 480 million and 550 million euros. Securing the first line and covering the back of the field, rugby fanatic Jean Castex expects a strong entry into the fray for his debut at the RATP.