Pere Lachaise terminal. Due to work, users of line 2 of the metro have had to review their routes since Monday. The RATP has set up a substitute bus service between Nation and Père Lachaise, with stops at intermediate stations. The section of a little less than 2 km (about twenty minutes walk) is also served by the regular bus line No. 71.
Preventive maintenance
The RATP takes advantage of the school holidays to change two track devices. These switching systems are essential for diverting trains when they arrive in the terminus area at Nation. The lifespan of this equipment manufactured in the La Villette workshops is generally 40 years. But in the terminus area, these devices are in high demand and are changed more frequently. “We do preventive maintenance. This is why we have just removed one of the devices, installed in 1994. Then we will completely change the ballast,” explains Philippe Simon, project manager at RATP Infras.
On one of the two platforms of the 2 à Nation, a construction train transports several tons of crushed rock, the famous ballast, essential to the stability of the rails. The RATP is also taking advantage of this regeneration to place an anti-vibration mat under the track, in order to absorb shocks during train movements.
The construction site started Monday morning lasts six days and six nights, during which the stations located between Nation and Père Lachaise must be closed. “Even if the work is taking place at Nation, we are obliged to return the trains to Père Lachaise”, explains the RATP. Be that as it may, traffic will return to normal on Sunday March 5 in the morning.