Olympia: Hotel prices quadruple, metros reach their limits

Anyone who travels on crowded Paris metros as a tourist or commuter can imagine what politicians and experts are saying openly. How will the Olympic Games next summer be able to attract hundreds of thousands of spectators to the sports venues in addition to the daily rush?

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“In fact, there will be places where transportation will not be ready because there will not be the number of trains and the frequency,” said Mayor Anne Hidalgo. Other politicians accused Hidalgo of being a polluter and pointed to intensive preparations for the smooth transport of spectators. “Traffic is a key element for the successful organization of the Games,” said the Olympic organizers. The Summer Games are scheduled for July 26th to August 11th, 2024.

The head of the Paris public transport company RATP, Jean Castex, also said: “We have an outdated network. There are at least eight out of ten lines that are no longer able to guarantee a high-quality public service.”

Call to work from home

The fact is that the games fall during the summer holidays, when many Parisians go on vacation. Transport Minister Clement Beaune called on other residents to work from home if possible during the games.

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Extensive expansion of the metro and S-Bahn network has been started, but much of it will not be ready for the games. At least the extension of an important metro axis should go into operation shortly before the games, and additional buses should relieve the strain on the railways.

The increased fares that the Paris transport company is planning for the games are not very hospitable. The prices for single and weekly tickets are set to virtually double; the rates will only remain the same for commuters with monthly and annual tickets. The capital region wants to use the surcharges to cover expected additional costs of around 200 million euros. And visitors also have to be prepared for surcharges at hotels, as the newspaper “Les Échos” reported. There is a 314 percent increase in room rates when comparing this summer’s rates with those during the Games. The average price for an overnight stay will then be 699 euros instead of 169 euros, as was the case this summer.