Storm Austen, which crossed the Île-de-France region on Friday, October 23, necessitated the implementation of preventive measures on the RER C network. However, several incidents, independent of the strong winds, significantly disrupted traffic throughout the day, affecting passenger journeys.
In anticipation of gusts potentially exceeding 100 km/h, SNCF Réseau decided to adapt train services to prevent risks of trees or branches falling onto tracks and damage to electrical installations. Speed restrictions and traffic interruptions were applied to the most exposed sectors. These measures, communicated late the previous day, limited the dissemination of advance information.
On the RER C, from 9 AM until the end of service, traffic was interrupted between Brétigny and Dourdan, as well as between Versailles-Chantiers and Massy-Palaiseau (Line V). Between Brétigny and Saint-Martin d’Étampes, trains operated at a maximum speed of 70 km/h on certain tracks.
The morning was marked by two major incidents. At 10:20 AM, a tree fell on the tracks at Massy-Palaiseau, disrupting traffic between this station and Pont de Rungis – Aéroport d’Orly, as well as TGV services serving Massy-TGV. RER C services resumed at 11:35 AM in the affected area.
At 10:26 AM, a fire in an electrical substation at Musée d’Orsay led to an interruption of the trains' electrical power supply. The intervention of teams required a power cut, causing a traffic interruption on a large part of the line. Services resumed around 2:22 PM, but the reorganization of immobilized trains prolonged the disruptions.
The evening rush hour was also disrupted. At 4:11 PM, an electrical power failure between Pontoise and Avenue du Président-Kennedy caused a traffic interruption, restored at 5:44 PM. At 4:47 PM, an obstacle on the tracks at Savigny-sur-Orge led to service interruptions in both directions, gradually restored around 6 PM and 6:20 PM.
Later, at 5:45 PM, forgotten items at Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand station necessitated a temporary interruption of service towards Juvisy, which resumed at 6:15 PM. Finally, in the early evening, a train breakdown between Juvisy and Saint-Martin d’Étampes caused a traffic interruption, resolved at 8:05 PM.
These successive incidents complicated traffic conditions and required several temporary interruptions, extending from the morning to the early evening. Although weather conditions improved by Saturday, sporadic disruptions persisted over the weekend due to other incidents unrelated to the storm.
