Citec in charge of Paris 2024 transport: challenge met!

July 24 marked the start of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games, the world’s largest sporting event. With nearly 40 venues in Paris but also in the region and overseas, 600,000 spectators for the opening ceremony, more than 10 million tickets sold, 4 billion viewers, 15,000 athletes and more than 30,000 volunteers, these Summer Olympics were scene of a record attendance in a unique atmosphere! Over 17 days of competition until August 11, 206 nations and their 10,500 athletes met in 329 events. The Paralympic Games followed the Olympic Games, from August 28 to September 8: the Agitos came to the Olympic Rings. These Games saw 12 days of competition, 4’400 athletes from 185 different nations compete in 540 events. It goes without saying that the management of transport networks during a major event such as this one is based on careful planning, the use of innovative technologies, and flawless coordination between the various stakeholders. Although of great complexity to organise, the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games were undoubtedly a great success!

Citec participates in the transport organisation of the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games

Citec is very proud to have supported this success from the Paris bid phase until its completion. Indeed, after assisting the bid committee in the preparation of its dossier, Citec supported the Paris 2024 Transport Department on all mobility issues for the development of its operational plan. Following the selection of Paris for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games, the Paris 2024 Organising Committee appointed Citec to lead a multidisciplinary grouping for the framework agreement on the transport and mobility component. For nine years, our experts in Public transport and Large events have worked on the organisational aspect and technical assistance: the studies carried out cover a wide range of topics ranging from the overall design of a transport network or static modelling of travel, to dynamic simulation of a pedestrian walkway or analysis of junctions, to site accessibility schemes. Realisation of technical drawings, space planning, signage planning, process management, team training, regular briefings and daily management of more than 60 people: our experts were heavily involved in site and fleet management, with 200 buses per hour expected to depart and arrive at the Olympic Village. Citec has also been involved in managing shuttles at the start of services to athletes and the great wave of arrivals, such as at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport.

Opening ceremonies and Transport Mall

The biggest sporting event in the world is not limited to competitions, it is also a unique and festive experience for spectators from all over the world. For the first time in the history of the Games, the public witnessed two exceptional opening ceremonies, taking place outside of the stadium: in the heart of Paris along the Seine (6 km long) and around the Place de la Concorde for the Paralympic ceremony: a complex organisational challenge. For Citec, the simultaneous management of the ceremonies and the Transport Mall is a real challenge: 250 buses with a protocol order to be respected, depots in several boarding areas east of the Seine and on the west side, all for two full hours for the Olympic ceremony, and 180 buses in several areas at the Concorde for the Paralympic ceremony. The Transport Mall is the main bus station of the Olympic Village, and the heart of the important transports of the Olympics: 41 pick-up bays, nine drop-off bays and 14 assembly areas. Citec worked for six years to develop this hub, and our teams managed the ceremonies at the same time as the Transport Mall, with 1,000 departures per day in the Olympic phase and 800 in the Paralympic phase!

Games 100% reachable by public transport: a success!

The Games also meant more than 10 million spectators from all over the world: as many people as had to be transported to the various competition venues. Paris 2024’s ambition to make the Games “100% accessible by public transport” was a complex one, given the exceptionally large number of travellers and the remote nature of some of the venues: the challenge was successfully met. Citec, commissioned by Île-de-France Mobilités to manage the shuttle buses for spectators in areas not connected by public transport, developed a transport plan to ensure that spectators could be transported in the best possible conditions: platform dimensions, bus traffic flows, pedestrian routes, etc. These missions were carried out under the direction of Stefano Manelli, Citec Large Events Manager and director of the transport technical assistance mission for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. Citec’s expertise was put to good use right from the bid phase, when a preliminary mobility plan was drawn up, right through to the supervision of the most important sites from the epicentre of operations: TROC, the real-time transport coordination centre. Citec is proud to have been called upon by the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games Organising Committee, which we accompanied from overall support, with simulations and technical checks, right through to concrete implementation, with technical drawings and training plans at the crucial sites. Our experts are also particularly proud to have worked alongside Île-de-France Mobilités to ensure the success of Paris 2024, working to make these Games a global showcase for the « transport experience ».

In the press

Le Monde — Paris hopes to maintain success of public transport post-Olympics

(FR) L’Équipe — La réussite des transports en commun pendant les Jeux, « un héritage » à garder

(FR) Le Nouvel Obs — JO 2024 : 5 chiffres qui soulignent la réussite des transports publics pendant les Jeux