PARIS | RER & Suburban Rail

[Cosmin]

Well, AFAIK, the biggest part of the system was built specifically for the RER in the '60s and '70s, so it wasn't a case of converting existing tracks and station to be used by the RER, but of actually building an entirely new system all together.

Maybe Minato can confirm this.

[Metropolitan]

Originally Posted by Songoten2554

what does Sortie means i keep seeing it on metro's and RER stations?

was that station and RER station originally or was that Station part of the Railway station of the national Railway system of Paris?

Minato's home station, Gentilly (RER B) has been inaugurated in 1846. It's been renovated in the 70's when the line has been extended northbound to become the RER B. This explains its 1970's feel.

One of the most beautiful station on the line is Luxembourg, which has been inaugurated in 1895. It used to be the terminus of the "ligne de Sceaux" (Sceaux line) untill the line had been extended to Châtelet in 1977 and became the RER B.

[Songoten2554]

what picture is that station

do you know minato?

[Minato ku]

The station posted by Metroplitan is the station Luxembourg.
In fact I posted to station Gentilly in the two first pictures and Laplace in the last

Originally Posted by Cosmin

Well, AFAIK, the biggest part of the system was built specifically for the RER in the '60s and '70s, so it wasn't a case of converting existing tracks and station to be used by the RER, but of actually building an entirely new system all together.

Maybe Minato can confirm this.

Unfortunely no, the biggest part of the system was build before and converted for the RER.

Thses station posted in my picture was before a part of the Sceaux line, already exploited by the CMP (Metropolian compagny of Paris, the ex compagny of Paris metro) and the RATP since 1946.
So before the line de Sceaux was already like a RER, when this line was extented to Luxemburg at Chatelet les Halles it become the RER B.

The line A was in the West the line Saint Germain (the oldest passengers train line in France, with this terminus in Saint Lazare station), it was entierelly upgrated in the end of the 1960's this route was modified and extented at La La Defense and Auber.
At the East it was the Vincennes line with its terminal station at Bastille (the station was destroyed in the 1980's for build a new Opera and the elevated tracks inside inner Paris are used as the park). The line entierly upgrated in the end of the 1960's (before steam train run on it) the route was modified and extended at Nation.

In 1970 the RER A was two line separated, these lines become the RER A when the two lines was extended to Chatelet les Halles in 1977.
After a new branch openend in the east wich was entierly new.

The RER C is an exception because unlike the other RER line its underground section is old, it was build in 1900. (expected the part between Musee d'Orsay and Invalide), so for maintance it close every summer.

[Cosmin]

I see. Well, sorry for my mistake.

[Metropolitan]

Originally Posted by Cosmin

Well, AFAIK, the biggest part of the system was built specifically for the RER in the '60s and '70s, so it wasn't a case of converting existing tracks and station to be used by the RER, but of actually building an entirely new system all together.

Actually, you're not totally wrong.
Indeed, Minato Ku is right, the suburban parts of the network have been built mostly during the 19th century and already existed. However, the core of the
network in Central Paris, where RER lines are connected to one another and to metro lines, have been built since the mid 1960's. As such, yes, the RER system
as an interconnected network is new, however, it uses older infrastructures, especially in the suburbs.

Here, you can see the history of the rail tracks used nowadays by the RER B.

[Cosmin]

Very interesting diagram for RER B. Are there similar diagrams for the other lines? RER E would be interesting... how much of it is actually new?
Thanks.

[Hugues75]

Originally Posted by Cosmin

Very interesting diagram for RER B. Are there similar diagrams for the other lines? RER E would be interesting... how much of it is actually new?
Thanks.

Only the part between Magenta & Haussmann-Saint-Lazare (in fact, the suburban part of the line in Paris), opened in 1999. All the rest was part of the eastern suburban network (it started from Paris - Gare de l'est).

[Metropolitan]

Originally Posted by Hugues75

Only the part between Magenta & Haussmann-Saint-Lazare (in fact, the suburban part of the line in Paris), opened in 1999.

You meant the underground part of the line in Paris. Right?

[Metropolitan]

Originally Posted by Cosmin

Very interesting diagram for RER B. Are there similar diagrams for the other lines?

Actually, I've made it by myself for you knowing that I had the dates but not the diagram. I've just made another one for the RER A.
To my surprise, most of RER A tracks have been built after world war 2 as part of the RER project.



The RER line A is actually the longest underground line in Paris with 27.8 km of it being underground.
The longest continuous tunnel between Nanterre and Vincennes is 18.1 km long. It also has 17 underground stations.

[Cosmin]

Originally Posted by Metropolitan

Actually, I've made it by myself for you knowing that I had the dates but not the diagram. I've just made another one for the RER A.

Very nice work. Cheers!

[Hugues75]

Originally Posted by Metropolitan

You meant the underground part of the line in Paris. Right?

Yes, of course.

[Metropolitan]

Originally Posted by Hugues75

Yes, of course.

Well it wasn't that obvious to me to tell the truth. I coulnd't see what was specifically suburban in the connection between Magenta and Haussmann !!
Now that I think about it, the word you had in mind instead of suburban was probably subterranean. Considering this I now understand how you've mixed both.

Anyway, at the opposite of popular beliefs, there are many underground sections of the RER outside Central Paris. Among the 44 underground stations of the RER network, 19 are located outside Central Paris.

To mention some of the signifant underground sections in the suburbs, the RER A is underground in the Cergy area, the Nanterre/La Défense area, the Fontenay/Val de Fontenay area, in Noisy and the Eurodisney area. The RER B is underground in the CDG Airport area and the Sevran-Beaudottes area. The RER C is underground in the Meudon area, and the RER D is in the Evry area. The only line with no significant underground sections outside Central Paris is indeed the RER E, where the only underground sections are several motorways underpasses never longer than 200 meters.

[Minato ku]

About the RER E.

Pantin

[Hugues75]

Originally Posted by Metropolitan

Well it wasn't that obvious to me to tell the truth. I coulnd't see what was specifically suburban in the connection between Magenta and Haussmann !!
Now that I think about it, the word you had in mind instead of suburban was probably subterranean. Considering this I now understand how you've mixed both.

Exactly ! I was tired...

[m@rco]

Originally Posted by Minato ku

The RER C is an exception because unlike the other RER line its underground section is old, it was build in 1900. (expected the part between Musee d'Orsay and Invalide), so for maintance it close every summer.

FYI, the section between "Perreire-Levallois" and St Ouen" has been built in 1988 for the "VMI Project"...

Porte de Clichy (opened in 1991):





St Ouen:

[m@rco]

Originally Posted by Metropolitan

Actually, I've made it by myself for you knowing that I had the dates but not the diagram. I've just made another one for the RER A.
To my surprise, most of RER A tracks have been built after world war 2 as part of the RER project.

http://grandparis.free.fr/RER-A-History.gif

Metropolitan, the section between "Neuville-Université" (station opened in 1994) and "Cergy-Prefecture" has been built in 1979 and has been extended to "Cergy-St Christophe" in 1985 and "Cergy le Haut" in 1994...
http://carto.metro.free.fr/documents/CartoRER.pre7.pdf

[edubejar]

Originally Posted by Minato ku

About the RER E.

Some pictures taken today in Pantin

I love the look of the RER E trains. I like that they still look new, especially inside, but that they look robust, at the same time. I love a certain level of robustness in rapid transit, afterall, they are suppose to last a long time and move a lot of people. I like their doors, how they open (out and sideways), and I like how you enter somewhere in between the lower and upper deck such that you have to take the stairs, whichever deck you decide to sit in, unless you remain in the door area. I like how the people sitting on the lower level are lower than people walking on the platform and I like the perspective you get from sitting on the top deck. But the RER E is the only RER line I like as much or more than the Cercanías of Madrid. Otherwise I like Madrid's Cercanías trains more, overall.

Luckily, it looks like Paris will be getting new, sleak, trains for some of their Transilien lines (the other suburban network that compliments the RER).
http://www.britorail.net/vie-ferrovi...27-10-2006.php

http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nouvell...ice_transilien




















They are cool-looking but a bit plastic-looking too, like some of the new subway trains we've seen in Madrid, Athens and Lisbon(?). I'm a fan of robust materials integrated with [B]some[B] level of moderness when it comes to mass-transit, like the RER E. But I admit I like how sleak those new Transilien trains will look.

When these are added in late 2009, along with the new metro trains on Line 2, Paris will have an even wider chronological range in its rapid transit (Metro, RER, Transilien), with both old and new stock to satisfy both preferences.

[Songoten2554]

wow awesome new rail car with the new light screen showing the map of the routes.

the seating looks cool and colorful maybe its a sense of Fashion, though i do say that the train looks plastic but then again that could be the style now plus it looks to be alot more roomer i like that you can store bikes there, thats great for people that uses bikes.

also i want to know something is the RER part of Translien or is it that RER is seperated from Transilan.

also is Crossrail in london will be like London's version of RER and is also the San Francsisco BART system is an RER too?

[edubejar]

Originally Posted by Songoten2554

wow awesome new rail car with the new light screen showing the map of the routes.

the seating looks cool and colorful maybe its a sense of Fashion, though i do say that the train looks plastic but then again that could be the style now plus it looks to be alot more roomer i like that you can store bikes there, thats great for people that uses bikes.

also i want to know something is the RER part of Translien or is it that RER is seperated from Transilan.

also is Crossrail in london will be like London's version of RER and is also the San Francsisco BART system is an RER too?

The Transilien is a separate network. Transilien has 6 lines, 5 of which depart from 5 of the 6 Paris intercity train stations. Unlike the RER, the Transilien does not run through one end of Paris (City) to another, thus it can't be used as express trains within the City. Instead, Transilien trains only branch out of Paris somewhat near Paris administrative boundaries. Thus each Transilien line has only one Paris station, the terminal, except for one line that has 2 Paris stations. Then there's one Transilien line that is exclusively outside of Paris (City), whose terminal is La Défense.

Transilien is considered by some "true" suburban network of Paris. I don't see any significant reason for that. The RER serves the suburbs too, in addition to providing express trains between the City's major Metro hubs. I believe the Transilien goes further out, yet some RER lines, too, go out very far, sometimes to places considered satellite cities rather than surburbs. In any case, even if the Transilien coincides with the RER in some segments (such that you can choose whichever to your particular destination), many destinations are only served by either the Transilien or the RER, but not both, so it compliments it.

Minatu ku created a thread in the Rail Subforum dedicated to the Transilien. http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=480198.
You will notice that some trains look like RERs while others don't. The new Transilien trains by Bombardier that I posted above will be replacing some of lines with the old, ugly, grey ones.