The quality of air in underground stations under question

Long neglected, good air quality in underground stations is finally a priority for public services.

Improving air quality in the underground metro and RER stations of the Île-de-France transportation network? A priority and a commitment for Île-de-France Mobilités and its partner operators. A very concrete action plan has just been unveiled. Explanation.

Improving and monitoring air quality in metro and RER stations, is an essential mission for Île-de-France Mobilités, which works hand in hand with Air Parif (the air quality observatory in Île-de-France) to design an ambitious plan and concrete actions, implemented on the ground by the line operators, RATP and SNCF Transilien.

A plan, with four main axes, approved by the Île-de-France Mobilités Board of Directors on May 25, 2022, continues to grow and enrich as knowledge advances, standards evolve, and technological progress is made:

1. Better understand air quality
2. Better inform the public
3. Develop existing tools and test new ones
4. Evolve metro and RER trains to reduce emission sources

The action plan adopted by Île-de-France Mobilités also allows for a significant focus on innovation.

Following the regional Île-de-France call for projects (2018-2021), several technologies were selected for their potential effectiveness.

Île-de-France Mobilités, RATP, and SNCF Transilien have chosen four pilot sites to test the treatment of all platforms within the same station using four different technologies:

• Lyon Station (RER A), where RATP will test a particle trapping solution
• Campo Formio (M5), where RATP is testing a particle fixing product
• Porte de Clichy (REC C), experimenting with a mechanically filtered device (Mann+Hummel) with SNCF starting October 2023
• Neuilly Porte Maillot (RER C), testing a water filtration device (Starklab) with SNCF from late 2023