Robin Renucci was still reeling from the news; like every Marseillais, the actor and director ( who has been director of the Théâtre National de La Criée for the past 18 months) discovered in the press that as of October 23, France's second-largest city will close its metro at 9:30 p.m. (as opposed to 12:30 am). Of course, this will only be four days a week, from Monday to Thursday, and not on evenings when the soccer team Olympique de Marseille (the local object of worship) is playing at the Stade-Vélodrome. However, according to the Metropolitan Transport Company (RTM), the absence of (late) night trains will continue for another two years. Representatives of the company, which manages the metro, streetcars, and buses under the political leadership of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Authority (AMP), assured that this was just the time needed to test the automated trains that are due to equip the network by 2025.
"How will our audience and crews get home with shows that end at 11:00 p.m.? Why wasn't this information given to us beforehand? Why was there no consultation?" The questions raised by a flabbergasted Robin Renucci have echoed those of many in the city. Since the Marsactu news website revealed the early closures on September 26, petitions with several thousand signatures have been springing up on the Internet. Some have denounced a curfew. Others have pointed to segregation between those who can afford an Uber or downtown parking. Those who have been around for longer have evoked a return to the pre-2013 era when the metro didn't run after 9:30 p.m. and tourists avoided Marseille.
On September 29, the main employers' organizations wrote a scathing letter to RTM president, Les Républicains metropolitan councilor Catherine Pila. The Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI), the Union of Hoteliers, Restaurateurs and Cafe Owners (UMIH), and representatives of small and medium-sized businesses (CPME) denounced with one voice "the brutality of the announcements" and expressed concern about a decision that risks "seriously penalizing downtown activity."
Among them, the CCI, which is close to Marseille's right wing, was the most vocal about the closure. As a member of RTM's board of directors, it is having a hard time digesting the fact that it was "never informed of this measure." "If they wanted to kill off nightlife in Marseille, they couldn't have done it any other way," said Bernard Marty, head of UMIH 13. Up until now, the Neomma program, which aims to replace the metro's 39 45-year-old trains with automated, air-conditioned, and connected vehicles, has met with unanimous approval.
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