Transport chiefs for the zones around Paris are urging 2024 Olympic Games organisers to limit the crowds for the lavish opening ceremony along the river Seine to 500,000.
On 26 July at 8:24 pm, more than 100 boats loaded with athletes from across the world will start the six-kilometre voyage on the water from the Pont d'Austerlitz in the east and travel past iconic monuments such as Notre Dame cathedral and the Louvre to the Pont d'Iéna in between Trocadéro and the Eiffel Tower.
It is understood organisers are working on the premise of 100,000 paying spectators on specially constructed seats on the lower part of the quays and 500,000 spectators who have not paid on the upper sections.
But as the 500-day countdown to the Games starts, Laurent Probst – who runs Ile-de-France Mobiltés (IDFM) – warned that the capital's buses and metros would not be able to cope with the demands.
"We have asked to limit the capacity to 500,000 spectators," said Probst.
"If there are more than that, we won't be able to provide transportation for everyone."
Concept
Organisers of the Paris 2024 Games preened themselves when they revealed plans for an opening ceremony that broke with tradition and would take place outside a stadium.
The decision to make the river Seine the centrepiece of the spectacle was hailed as a daring stroke of genius.
But the harsh logistics of incarnating such panache have brought headaches for security and transport chiefs.
After discussions between interior ministry and Paris town hall officials, people in the upper sections along the river on the opening day will require tickets and be restricted to one of 20 zones along the course.
IDFM is also asking for some bridges to be opened at the end of the ceremony.
Numbers
'"It means that some spectators won't have to take the metro to cross the Seine," said Probst. "The stations located on the left bank are small and will hardly be able to absorb thousands of passengers at once."
Around four million people are expected at the 25 sites inside and outside Paris for the Games between 26 July and 11 August.
Another three million are scheduled to attend the Paralympic Games which start on 28 August and finish on 8 September. Each day, between 300,000 and 500,000 spectators will make at least one return trip.
The Stade de France, which will fill up and empty twice a day, will be the Olympic site most in demand.
It will also be under intense scrutiny following a damning report into the staging of the Champions League final at the venue between Liverpool and Real Madrid last May.
Scrutiny
A 150-page report commissioned by European football's governing body Uefa said Liverpool fans narrowly avoided being crushed to death after they were corralled by police in front of closed gates.
A review into the near catastrophe undertaken by French senators – senior politicians – just after the match said the game should serve as a wake-up call for improvements at stadiums throughout the country with France due to host the rugby union World Cup in the autumn as well as the Olympics in 2024.
In an effort to help travellers reach the sites efficiently, IDFM said it plans to launch a mobile application in English and French in the spring of 2024 dedicated to the Olympics.
The app, said IDFM logistics boss Laurence Debrincat, will feature itineraries on the RER suburban trains as well the metro and suggest the best route according to the current passenger flows.
"Depending on the place of departure and the site of arrival, we will guide the traveller on the RER D or metro line 13 or line 12, or even line H to get to the Stade de France," said Debrincat.
