We often say that subways are always running late, and some really run with that excuse to justify their extraordinarily late arrivals. However, if we believe the latest report from IDFM released this Friday, either your friends are shamelessly lying to you, or they are just incredibly unlucky. Because according to the latest numbers, with a few exceptions, the Paris metro has never been as punctual as it will be in 2024.
Trains Always On Time
Often, when we receive news from RATP or IDFM at the office, we expect the worst. Delays, strikes, line openings postponed… However, this Friday, February 21st, we were pleasantly surprised to find out about this brand new report from the public transport company in the Île-de-France region. According to...
And as for that, the punctuality of all network lines would have improved significantly in 2024, quite notably, actually.
Un "net redressement" de la ponctualité des transports en Île-de-France, mais certains RER et la ligne 8 restent en souffrancehttps://t.co/dlge4Q2DYF#Ligne8 #metro #RER pic.twitter.com/L4DuggCf5x
— France 3 Paris/Ile-de-France (@France3Paris) February 21, 2025
In fact, if in 2023, the on-time train rate peaked at 92.73%, it has jumped 3.45 points in just a year, reaching a lovely 96.18%. That's a score very close to perfection, which RATP attributes to a number of actions taken over the last 12 months, especially in preparation for the Olympic and Paralympic Games. Top performers include lines 1, 14, and 5 leading the pack, with rates even surpassing 100% (specifically 101.02%, 101.76%, and 101.01% for clarity)!
One line trailing behind
The Paris transport authority also mentions a focus on measures taken for the most challenged lines to explain this more than positive trend. By the way, among the 5 lines most affected...
4 have passed the 90% mark in just one year, a achievement we must celebrate. So now, there is only one black sheep left on the Paris tracks, a line from hell where delays are as common as a chunk of butter in a Breton fridge: the 8.@Ligne8_RATP même en plein vacances avec une rame à moitié vide on attend 7 min en station. Ras le bol
— Isabelle Duriez (@Isaduriez) February 21, 2025
It's not much of a surprise that the lovely lilac line is the only one still causing problems, as it is undoubtedly, along with line 13, the worst in Paris. It is noisy, way too unstable, and clearly much less reliable than the others. Between 2023 and 2024, it did manage to improve from 87 to 88%, and we want to acknowledge the effort. However, it is becoming more than urgent to do something about this aging line, which is becoming a little harder to love every day.