With delivery of the Grand Paris Express delayed yet again, and the price of the Navigo pass rising all the time, RATP is not getting very good press at the moment. Delays, overcrowding, poor management: the transport authority is the target of much criticism. And among the most targeted sections is the eternal line 13 and all its faults. But why is this line considered the worst in Paris?
Why does line 13 get such bad press?
Every day, some 650,000 people use its 25-kilometer route. Nicknamed “the line from hell”, line 13 has a complicated reputation. When it comes to determining the network’s worst lines, it’s almost automatically cited, even by those who have used it little or not at all. So what exactly is wrong with it?
First of all, and this is part of its legend, line 13 (far too) often gives the impression of being overloaded. At any time of day, the light-blue line’s trains fill up very quickly, and people end up packed in like sardines. The concept of rush hour is even blurred on the 13, as congestion starts early and ends late. As a result, it’s the same daily spectacle that occurs in busy stations (Montparnasse-Bienvenüe, Saint-Lazare, etc.). Platforms are overcrowded, and users have to allow several trains to pass before boarding, despite the presence of RATP dispatchers.
Another problem that exacerbates the situation is the line’s poor reliability. Although it doesn’t fare too badly in the ranking of lines with the longest waiting times, it is quite simply the one on which the most incidents occur, far ahead of line 8 in second place. Delays, passenger incidents, technical problems: it’s rare to see a day without a hitch on line 13, which also creates a vicious circle effect with the high ridership.
Finally, all this congestion creates another major problem, especially in summer: comfort. While travelling on top of each other is not optimal, the high temperatures recorded in the trains sometimes make the journey unbearable. Without air conditioning, line 13, like lines 6 and 4, is one of the “hottest” lines on the entire network.
So, does line 13 deserve its reputation? In any case, while a number of measures have been taken to relieve tension on the line, the development of the Grand Paris Express could well be the solution that will relieve the congestion for good.