What if the collapse of Metro Line B was linked to a simple nut?

Because the manufacturer Siemens Mobility refused to name it, and even to explain why it was used, it was named Jennifer. Jennifer the mysterious part that caused a huge breakdown on Line B of Rennes Metro, “forced to stop for at least three months. » On Tuesday, during the conference bringing together Rennes Metropole, Keolis and Siemens, we still learned that the guilty part “a was integrated into the mechanical block” and that entire block, fixed to each of the four “bogies », needed to be replaced. A total of one hundred parts are to be repaired in 25 trains of Metro Line B.

So much for clarification from Siemens who don’t want to talk about this part. “I’m not sure people are interested,” said Stephane Bayonne de Noyer, head of Siemens Mobility. A decree from the Ille-et-Vilaine prefecture was published on Friday and seen by Telegram However, it sheds new light on the January 3 outage that left thousands of commuters stranded. Thus, according to the operator’s report, this incident can be combined with a simple nut that indicates that “there are no plans to operate line B until there is an explanation and a solution. . . .

“Train Disguise” during the first breakdown in November

Cited in the same decree, the Technical Service for Ski Lifts and Guided Transport (STRMTG), which relies on the Ministry of Transport, also underlines that “the incident of January 3, 2024 requires an investigation and a possible redesign of the rolling stock. Axis guide pivots. »

As for the first breakdown on November 18, which interrupted service for more than a month, the prefectural decree refers to the “neglect of Nioval train n°56” without elaborating on the reasons. The incident and a fire broke out in the electrical room in the garage of the workshop. So we don’t know if the two failures are connected. Only a longer investigation will allow us to see more clearly into this mess.

Jerome Gickwell