- Ex-president of Bolivia blames government as shots fired at him
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- Postecoglou says Spurs out-battled in Crystal Palace loss
- EU urges Georgia vote probe as ex-president calls for mass protests
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- Mpetshi Perricard powers to 'amazing' first ATP 500 title in Basel
- Bayern thump Bochum to retake top spot
- West Ham pile more pressure on Ten Hag, Palmer fires Chelsea to victory
- Balotelli set for Italy return with injury-hit strugglers Genoa
- Japan ruling coalition projected to miss majority in election
- Netanyahu declares Iran strike a success as Israel pounds Lebanon, Gaza
- Draper holds off Khachanov for first ATP 500 title in Vienna
- Left seeks to unseat conservative in Uruguay president vote
- 'Failing' Judge vows to dig Yankees out of World Series hole
- Leon Marchand savours break from post-Olympics glare
- Ex-president of Bolivia says 14 shots fired at his car
- Netanyahu hails 'precise' strike on Iran as Israel pounds Lebanon, Gaza
- Steen Olsen wins World Cup opener as Hirscher wows on comeback
- Georgia thrown into political turmoil after disputed vote
- Japan ruling party projected to miss majority in election
- Philippines death toll from Tropical Storm Trami rises to 110
- Syria Kurd force denies links to Ankara attack as Turkey strikes
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- Israel pounds Gaza and Lebanon after Iran strikes
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- Bagnaia wins wet Thai MotoGP to close gap on title rival Martin
- 'Olympus has fallen': India fears end of an era after New Zealand loss
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- Red-hot Yin Ruoning secures LPGA Malaysia title with flawless 65
- Echavarria birdies final hole to win PGA Tour's Zozo Championship
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- Trump takes election pitch to storied New York arena
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- Olympic champion Zheng wins in Tokyo for third title of year
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- Dodgers' Ohtani injured in World Series win
- China's second-generation factory owners go digital to combat challenges
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- Israel's Netanyahu hoping for Trump triumph
Creaking Paris metro system to face Olympic test
Long the envy of other cities, Paris' creaking underground metro system has become a subject of daily frustration for users just as the French capital gears up to host this year's Olympics.
"It's really difficult and we're not even at the Olympics yet when there'll be millions of people on it," Juliette Fayaud, a 26-year-old restaurant worker, told AFP on the platform of the Line 8.
"There aren't enough trains. Sometimes in rush hour there's a train every five minutes when you need them every two or three," she said.
User satisfaction has plunged since the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 when the RATP, which runs the capital's transport system, cut services as workers stayed home en masse.
Many metro employees were furloughed and never returned to jobs, while the training of new staff to replace them slowed significantly.
"I think it'll be horrible during the Olympics," 22-year-old saleswoman Gabrielle Camus, another daily user, told AFP as she waited for a train. "I'm planning to use a bike and avoid the metro as much as possible."
Around one in five trains ran late on some metro lines in Paris last year, according to public data, with users sometimes facing waits of up to 10 or 15 minutes during the day on the worst-performing lines.
Commuters on the larger overground trains, which run on so-called RER lines, were offered refunds in 2023 for the third consecutive year due to punctuality problems. The service is still not back to pre-Covid levels.
With around seven million visitors expected in Paris during the Olympics from July 26 to August 11, the commuter train system will be under severe scrutiny as one of the main forms of transport for tourists and locals alike.
- 'Under-investment' -
Major political pressure ahead of the Games -- and the appointment of former prime minister Jean Castex as head of the RATP in 2022 -- has led to gradual improvements in recent months, according to surveys by the capital's transport authority.
Castex warned in December that eight out of ten lines were "no longer in a state to provide a quality public service" which he blamed on "40 years of under-investment".
But thanks in part to a major staff recruitment drive, all lines -- with the exception of the 3, the 8 and the RER C -- reached the minimum performance standard of 90 percent punctuality in March, according to the latest data.
Workers are also racing to complete key line extensions ahead of the Olympics, notably to connect the southern Orly airport to the line 14 and a new transport node near the Stade de France, which will host athletics, in the north.
"It's a challenge that we are able to meet," the head of the greater Paris region, Valerie Pecresse, told reporters as she presented her transport plans for the Olympics in late March.
Some metro or RER lines, particularly those serving the football, tennis or athletics stadiums, will have up to 71 percent more trains than a usual summer's day.
The challenge is not so much the volume of travellers -- overall traffic is expected to be no higher than a normal working day -- but it is the peaks in demand as fans enter and leave stadiums.
"You shouldn't be scared to do a bit of walking," Pecresse told Parisians. "It's good for your health."
- 'Key issue' -
In a city that has been gradually squeezing out cars, Paris is also keen to show off its recent cycling revolution.
Each Olympic sports venue will be accessible on bike, with around 415 kilometres (258 miles) of new cycle lanes built ahead of the Games as well as 20,000 cycle parking spots.
There will be no parking provision for cars at sports venues, however, and traffic jams in the capital are expected to be worse than usual due to road closures.
Chief organiser Tony Estanguet sounded confident last week that the city's trains, buses, trams and cycle lanes could handle the strain.
"It's a key issue for the smooth organisation and success of our event. We're well aware of that," he told reporters.
Paris's two main airports - Charles de Gaulle and Orly -- are also gearing up for key roles and have installed 15 new baggage inspection lines between them.
"The infrastructure is ready," the director general of their operating company said recently.
Traffic is expected to be similar to summer averages of 300,000 arrivals per day, but with a major spike in demand in the days after the closing ceremony on August 11.
A.Malone--AMWN