Context

In 2016, the Regional Council of Occitania organised a general meeting on rail and intermodality (EGRIM) in order to establish the priorities of the regional policy in terms of rail transport and intermodality in a concerted manner. Among the projects identified is the reopening to passenger traffic of the Alès-Bessèges line, which was suspended in 2012 for safety reasons. Following a preliminary study phase, SNCF Réseau wanted to organise a statutory consultation phase to gather the opinions of all the stakeholders concerned (potential users of the line, local residents, local authorities, socio-economic players, etc.) and involve them in the project.

Missions

• Alongside the Sennse agency: design, preparation and implementation of the consultation that took place during a constant dialogue with SNCF Gares & Connexions and the Occitanie Region

• Implementation of a Jenparle platform for the general public, including a participatory map module that allowed residents to geolocate their opinions and contributions

• Organisation, implementation and feedback of community meetings

Innovative dimensions of the approach

• The consultation aimed to "reach out" to the inhabitants of the area affected by the reopening: a consultation bus stopped in 8 municipalities along the railway line to meet directly with the people concerned. 

• In view of the health conditions, remote participation methods were set up via our Jenparle platform, to allow everyone to express themselves. The face-to-face kick-off meeting was also broadcast live online, and a decoding workshop was organised entirely remotely by video conference.