In Rennes, residents of line B desperate for postponements

• In Rennes, the line B construction site is slow to materialize.

  The opening of the second metro line has been postponed several times.

• Faced with technical problems, the German manufacturer Siemens must communicate in June to announce an inauguration date.

• Residents of Beaulieu station have seen trains pass under their noses for several months without being able to get on them.

In Rennes, the opening of line B is like a mirage in the desert.

On several occasions, the inhabitants of the Breton capital thought they saw the second metro line come into operation, before becoming disillusioned.

While Siemens must speak in the coming days to finally announce an opening date, many residents seem resigned.

The most traumatized are undoubtedly those who come into contact with the subject on a daily basis.

In Beaulieu, local residents have been seeing hundreds of trains used for testing every day for six months.

Without ever being able to set foot there.

Frustrating.

Siemens promised

a response "in the coming days".

But we are still waiting for the invitation to fall into our mailboxes.

When announcing yet another postponement of delivery in early May, the German manufacturer had promised to speak "early June" to give an official opening date.

“We can still hope to hand over the keys at the end of June.

This delay, we regret it, we assume it, ”said Laurent Bouyer, president of Siemens Mobility France.

"We hear the little voice of the metro, the music in the station"

An opening in September is also not to be excluded if the problem of the guide rollers is not solved.

During this speech, the president of Rennes Métropole Nathalie Appéré had shouted her "exasperation".

She's not the only one losing patience.

“I see them passing by every day.

We hear the small voice of the subway, the music in the station.

But we can't use it.

Eléna lives a stone's throw from Beaulieu station.

A year ago, she chose this apartment for that.

"I'm in law school.

My landlord had told me that line B would be delivered soon.

For me, that would have been royal.

I was promised it but I still don't see anything.

Tired, she even thought about moving.

To get around, the young student takes the bus but "it's not practical to go to college".

In the evening, she doesn't always feel safe when she has to walk across the square.

So she saved to buy a small car.

“In the neighborhood, more and more people are buying a car.

We almost have to,” assures Theo.

This INSA student plays shuffleboard at the foot of his residence with his two friends Ted and Bastien.

They arrived there three years ago.

"And we've been waiting for three years.

We are going to move this summer.

I think we won't even be able to try it, ”slip the three friends.

However, they would dream of getting to town in a few minutes.

“The bus during the day is fine, but at night it's a hassle.

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“It will be so much more convenient”

In this neighborhood which is home to many students, we meet two friends who have been enrolled in chemistry school for four years.

“We don't have a car, so we're waiting for the metro!

It will be so much more convenient.

At the Gallets skatepark located a stone's throw away, Yaouen gets off his skateboard for a few moments.

"I chose to move in with a roommate at Courrouze at the start of the school year because it's close to line B. But I'm starting to wonder if it will be delivered," slips the young arts student.

In the ranks of Semtcar, the teams are also growing impatient.

Especially since their "work" is long over.

The stations have all been delivered, the relay car parks are ready (except that of ViaSilva which is slightly late), as are the gates, the signage.

"We even put music in the stations", slips an employee who has been following the file for years.

Nine years after the start of its construction, the second line of the Rennes metro is still waiting.

Valued at 1.3 billion euros, the construction will be subject to compensation measures from Siemens.

“The contract provides for penalties which can be counted in tens of millions of euros.

It will be applied, ”said the president of the metropolis Nathalie Appéré.

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