Valérie Pécresse wants to make the Parisian "historic metro" accessible to people with disabilities

"This project, 'A metro for all', could become the major project of the decade with the accessibility of the historic metro," declared Ms. Pécresse, also president of Ile-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), the region's transport authority, at a press conference.

Ms Pécresse estimated that it would take at least twenty years to make the metro network accessible, with "undoubtedly" "technical impossibilities" at certain stations, in an "extremely urbanised" Paris.

To estimate the cost, she said she was relying on studies carried out on line 6, which is partly overhead and therefore "cheaper to make accessible".

The line would cost between 600 and 800 million euros, says Ms Pécresse.

"I am ready, and I have said so, (...) to complete this financing plan by making three equal parts, one part for the Region, one part for the State, one part for the City of Paris," declared the regional president regarding the work estimated at between 15 and 20 billion euros for the entire metro network.

While all the Games sites will be well served by accessible stations and railway stations, according to Ms Pécresse, the historic metro network remains "the black spot".

In Paris intramuros, she explained, "we have 100% accessibility of buses, but only 25% accessibility of the rail network: metro, tram, RER."

"My proposal is on the table and my hand is extended," said Ms. Pécresse, also insisting on consultation with residents.

The organisation of the Paralympic Games in Paris (August 28 - September 8) illustrated the glaring lack of accessibility of transport in the capital.

One hundred minibuses will be chartered to take disabled people and their companions "as close as possible to the Paralympic Games", from eight stations equipped with lifts in particular.

On the "Transport Public Paris 2024" application, it will also be possible to choose the wheelchair traveler functionality with "100% accessible routes".

During these Paralympic Games, Ile-de-France Mobilités expects to welcome up to 300.000 spectators per day, half as many as during the Olympic Games.

"We're going to have a lot more people to transport," notes Valérie Pécresse, because 5 million passengers are expected every day on the network from the start of the school year on September 2.

This means that more trains will run on 13 metro, RER and train lines - up to 10% more on line 13, for example.

To access certain competition sites, Ile-de-France Mobilités advises spectators to take routes that avoid lines 13 and 9, for example, which are reserved for "daily transport" and are regularly congested.