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New Notre-Dame spire takes shape on Paris skyline

The outline of the new spire on the Notre-Dame Cathedral was visible on the Paris skyline on Tuesday as a key part of the reconstruction from a devastating fire approached completion.

Published: 29 November 2023 08:49 CET
New Notre-Dame spire takes shape on Paris skyline
This photograph taken on November 28, 2023 in Paris shows the wooden structure of the new spire in place at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on the Ile de la Cite in Paris during reconstruction work. Photo by Ludovic MARIN / AFP

Scaffolding still surrounded the new spire, captured by an AFP photographer, and officials did not wish to comment while they await the finishing touches.

The authority overseeing the rebuilding told AFP last Friday that the oak structure of the spire, which reaches 96 metres (315 feet) high, would be visible “before Christmas”.

It is identical to the previous one, designed by the 19th century architect Viollet-Le-Duc, which collapsed in the fire of April 15th, 2019.

The scaffolding will remain to allow the installation of its cover and lead ornaments early next year, the authorities said.

The cathedral is due to reopen on December 8th, 2024, President Emmanuel Macron announced in August.

The frames of the nave and the choir of the cathedral, which were also destroyed, are due for completion in 2024, after which the construction of the roof can begin.

The final stages include cleaning the interior – an area that covers some 42,000 square metres – and installing new furniture.

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STRIKES

Olympic pay strike to ‘severely disrupt’ Paris public transport on Tuesday

A Tuesday rail strike over bonuses for Paris' July-August Olympic Games period will leave just one in five suburban commuter trains running on some lines in the French capital, operator SNCF have warned.

Published: 20 May 2024 09:57 CEST
Olympic pay strike to 'severely disrupt' Paris public transport on Tuesday

Traffic will be “very severely disrupted”, SNCF said, with certain lines suspended outside peak hours.

The operator’s Transilien Paris regional network has urged people to work from home or find alternate transport on Tuesday, which follows a Monday public holiday.

Rail workers’ unions are pressuring SNCF in negotiations over bonuses for working through the Olympic period.

Their counterparts at transport operator RATP, which runs metro and bus services in Paris, have already secured an average 1,000-euro ($1,086) bonus, reaching up to 2,500 euros for the most in-demand train and bus drivers.

“We thought the talks were dragging on a bit and wanted to provoke something,” Fabien Villedieu of the SUD-Rail union told AFP on Friday.

“We have a heavy workload with 4,500 additional trains in August, so a whole range of our colleagues won’t be able to go on holiday,” he added.

Strikes and threats of industrial action during the Games have marked the months leading up to the event, including from rubbish collectors and government and medical workers.

Rubbish collectors this month won a pay rise on top of an Olympic bonus, heading off multiple days of walkouts flagged for later in May and over the period of the Games.

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