THE board of Île-de-France Mobility (IdFM), the public transport authority for the greater Paris region, has approved an updated investment and management plan for RER Line C.
This will see a total of €4bn invested by 2035 to halt the current decline in performance, deliver a lasting improvement in train punctuality, and meet the forecast increase in demand on Line C’s southern and western branches.
The 176km Line C is one of the longest and busiest lines on the Transilien network serving Paris, carrying 540,000 passengers a day. IdFM says that performance has been falling below its requirements for several months, with train punctuality less than 90%.
The updated plan reflects extensive local consultation that began in February 2022 and will see work undertaken over the short, medium and long term in three main areas: fleet renewal, infrastructure upgrades, and adapting service patterns to meet demand more effectively.
Pending the delivery of new rolling stock, IdFM president, Ms Valérie Pécresse, has asked Transilien operator SNCF Voyageurs to examine the possibility of accelerating renewal of the fleet operating on Line C’s southern branches to Dourdan and Saint-Martin d’Étampes.
IdFM says that this could be done by redeploying Regio 2N EMUs currently operating on the Corbeil-Essonnes - Malesherbes branch of RER Line D and on Line R of the Transilien network.
In the longer term, a major increase in performance is expected when the Line C fleet of 172 Z2N EMUs is replaced by Z2N NG trains from 2033.
Their introduction will involve infrastructure work including raising platform heights, upgrading the traction power supply system and building two new maintenance facilities at Brétigny-sur-Orge and Gennevilliers with IdFM funding, as well as upgrading and extending the existing depot at Les Ardoines.
IdFM says that infrastructure upgrades will be key to ensuring reliable and robust performance on Line C, as its many branches and heavy traffic make it a complex line to operate.
In addition to the planned maintenance and track renewals work undertaken by infrastructure manager SNCF Network, IdFM says that replacing overhead electrification equipment will improve train performance, particularly on the section between Bibliothèque François Mitterrand and Athis-Mons.
An upgrade project for the key section of Line C between Juvisy and Brétigny-sur-Orge will enable service frequencies to be increased while reducing the complexity of train operations. Additional turnback facilities will be provided, as well as facilities for the new Z2N NG fleet.
Operational flexibility will also be improved by resignalling and the introduction of digital signalling systems.
On the operating side, IdFM has asked SNCF Network and SNCF Voyageurs to study shortening the length of individual services in order to improve punctuality and reduce the impact of disruption. This would prevent delays on one section spreading across Line C and would require infrastructure work including improved turnback facilities at Avenue Henri Martin.
SNCF Network and SNCF Voyageurs are also examining the possibility of extending two trains per hour in the peaks beyond Brétigny to Saint-Martin d’Étampes.
Additionally, IdFM wants to maintain direct services to the centre of Paris from both the Dourdan and Saint-Martin d’Étampes branches of Line C, and improve off-peak service levels to reduce journey times.
Measures to improve Line C performance already underway include the recruitment of 100 more drivers by the end of this year as well as 40 maintenance staff. To reduce signalling failures caused by metallic microparticles, 100 magnets are being installed on Line C.
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