It's a level crossing in the Île-de-France region, familiar to users of the Transilien H line (Montsoult-Maffliers / Luzarches / Persan-Beaumont routes), TER Hauts de France passengers, and motorists driving between the communes of Deuil-la-Barre and Montmagny. PN4, the level crossing at Deuil-Montmagny station in the Val-d'Oise department, is considered"the most dangerous in France". As indicated by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, there are 15,405 level crossings in France (2017 data) on lines open to traffic on the national rail network (compared with 33,500 in 1938 and 25,000 in 1980). Of these 15,405 level crossings, some are considered to be priorities for securing, and have thus been included in the national securing program (PSN).
Until then, the level crossing at Deuil-Montmagny station was number one on the national list of level crossings to be removed as a priority, drawn up by the Ministry of Transport. In 2021, Muriel Scolan, the mayor of Deuil-la-Barre, described it as"the most accident-prone level crossingin France". It has to be said that the PN4 at Deuil-Montmagny holds a sad record for the highest number of accidents recorded in 15 years, with 3 deaths and 67 accidents, despite the implementation of safety measures. Some still remember the images of the dump truck hit by an H line train in December 2022.
These repeated accidents, directly linked to the dangerous nature of this level crossing, also have repercussions on train traffic. As SNCF Réseau points out, " each incident causes a minimum of 3 hours of disruption to traffic on line H and the Paris-Persan-Beaumont-Beauvais TER trains ".
So, for years, many have been campaigning for the removal of the Deuil-Montmagny level crossing. Under study by the public authorities since 2014, the redevelopment project was finally adopted in 2021. The project, estimated to cost 45.5 million euros (financed by the French government, the Île-de-France region, the SNCF and the Val-d'Oise departmental council), is due to start in summer 2024, according to Le Parisien. If all goes according to plan, work should be completed in 2026. This major project will see the permanent removal of PN4, as well as the creation of a tunnel for pedestrians and cyclists underneath the road, and the construction of a bridge for motorists some 500 meters upstream.
On the other hand, this work will have an impact on the daily lives of motorists, who will have to be patient and use the detour put in place for the occasion. On average, some 200 trains and 7,000 vehicles cross the Deuil-Montmagny level crossing every day. On the pedestrian side, the figure is equally impressive, with some 500 pedestrians using the crossing during rush hour.
