London, Paris expand rail lines but studies flag tainted underground air

Fine particle air pollution in train networks of both cities a concern

- Jonathan Eyal Global Affairs Correspondent

LONDON - European governments hope to reduce air pollution by persuading their public to make greater use of the extensive underground rail networks in the continent's biggest cities.

Spurred by its hosting of the Paris Olympics in 2024, France is currently spending €42 billion (S$60 billion) on a gigantic expansion of its public transport, adding 200km of railway tracks and 68 stations to the French capital's Metro by the end of this decade.

Meanwhile, the British has just added a line to the London underground, named after its late Queen and stretching over 100km at a cost of £20 billion (S$33 billion).

Although the overall environmental benefits of using public transport are not in question, recently published scientific studies have revealed that those tapping the underground networks in these two cities may be subjected to higher fine particle air pollution than in the outside, ambient air.

Fine particle air pollution inside the Paris area Metro is "on average three times higher than in the urban exterior air", claims a report by French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety (Anses).