A Transit System of EPIC Proportions | Paris RER
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- čas přidán 30. 12. 2022
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The great metropolis of Paris not only has one of the world's original and most extensive metro systems, but it's also the birthplace of a whole new type of transit system - the RER, connecting the wider region together with express trains. Learn about the RER in today's video!
Special thanks to Julian Merle-R. & Hiro Trevelyan for helping with this video!
Link to Alon Levy’s article on the RER: citymonitor.ai/transport/rer-...
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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!
Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.
Thanks for watching our videos this year! We have a full playlist of all of the explainer videos here if you want something to watch! czcams.com/play/PLwoYcvp1EGSeL1hZCfeQodba_VNW7pe8v.html
Tog in Danish is pronounced a lot like the English word 'tow'.
S-tow 👍
Bonne année et meilleurs voeux! Happy new year and best wishes!
It’s definitely epic you can get pickpocketed in 5 mins
Among the most unsafe systems in earth as they intentionally target tourists from the airport
The French should remove the pickpockets and crooks
Have you ever been IN this system
Let’s see if your passport and wallet makes it with you when you reach
Making videos is good but you must visit to understand the risk
I think you kind of compared the RER to german S-Bahn Systems. After seeing this in the case of Berlin for instance, you should rather compare the RER to the VBB map, since it adds an inner city express service on top of the S-Bahn.
Do you will do an video for the Transillien (a fusion between regional train and RER) service?
Watching this on the RER
Which one?
Same here 🤣
*jealous
@@pokaface564 Don't be jealous, taking the RER is often a horrible experience, it’s so unsafe because it serves dangerous areas of the suburbs, you have to stand for sometimes 2 hours in super busy trains and when there is an incident, RER stations become so crowded that it becomes dangerous.
@@tortellinifettuccine Unsafe for Parisian and French standards.
FUN FACT: the RER A was initially named Métro Express Régional Défense-Étoile. Only when the painter in charge of painting the signs realised that the acronym would spell MERDE (sh*t in French) they decided to rename it RER. 😂
Lol
J'espère tellement que cette anecdote est vraie
@@TheSilentGeorges ça l'est
@@TheSilentGeorges - Si tu cherches "RER MERDE" sur internet, tu devrais trouver des articles provenant de journaux sérieux. J'espère qu'ils ont vérifié leurs sources.
@@aidanclarke6106 Magnifique !
It's refreshing to hear somebody speak about the RER with such enthusiasm! Being French, I usually hear people complaining about it 😅
On oubli la chance que l'on as
The smell man. The smell....
I'm using it everyday to go to work and believe me it is not a pleasure to use the rer....
As frenchmen, we always complain... But maybe we aspire to a better future?
It's a feat of city building and it should be admired but the way it's run (at least the SNCF-operated lines) leaves a lot to be desired. I use the C and my biggest annoyance is how early in the evening they stop running trains, if you wanna go to dinner or an event in Paris that ends after 22:00 good luck catching a train back to the suburbs!
Most suburban/urban rail systems like the RER or S-Bahn have a single city center tunnel with trains fanning out on either end. Meanwhile, Paris has FIVE TRUNK LINES on the RER. It's no wonder it's the example everyone looks to.
Then again, Boston has none, and the trains terminate at the north and south end of the central city a mile apart, despite a massive decades long, tens of billions of dollars transport tunneling project from one station to the other.
@@bearcubdaycare Insane that Boston hasn't connected these two stations but allocated $24 Billion for the Big Dig.
Yeah I mean Paris basically has 5 different S train systems as a result, more or less.
Yet they interconnect very well, changes are effortless most of the time. And it is not only between rer lines but also with the metro, the tram, buses and even tgv stations. They are different because they were a bunch of old lines repurposed towards a better use. So it was cheaper than building new lines. It is even what made those projects a reality. But most of the efforts today are to remove those barriers and it takes a lot of time for sure.
Its not exactly 5, but its a lot more than one!
Being french and from Paris, i will show this video to people i know saying "Paris has the WORST transportation network in the world."
Being tired of this. Very good video Thanks a lot !
c'est pas possible de sortir ça hahaha, faut vraiment ne pas être sortie de paris
@@NapoleonTrotski Ne vous en deplaise, je connais bien le reste des villes de France, et ai pu vivre dans d'autres métropoles européennes, et je n'en connais aucune avec un réseau aussi étendu, et une qualité de service aussi grande. Très simple de critiquer le réseau de transport de Paris lorsque l'on ne connaît que des villes avec uniquement 2 trams et 5 métros.
@@mathieuduboisrecords j'étais d'accord avec vous, je pense justement que les Parisiens qui pensent que le réseau parisien est le pire au monde sont ceux qui ne sortent pas de paris
@@NapoleonTrotski désolé de la mésentente ! Nous sommes raccords haha 😂
@@mathieuduboisrecords haha pas de soucis, ma phrase n'était pas précise
As a former Torontonian now living in Paris ... there is no way I could return to the transit of Toronto. Unlike the TTC, the metro and RER systems are an integral part of the city that the only time I think of taking any other form of transit is late at night.
Edit: If you can ever avoid going to Chatelet-Les Halles, avoid it. It's so large that it can feel like you've walked 30 minutes just to catch a connection (you haven't, but it can feel that way).
Max, I was born in Paris but raised in Toronto. Can you tell me how life is like in my birth city? How would you compare it to Toronto? Thanks!
Though it also depends on how you're using it. If the metro line exits at the right "sector" it's fine. Also L4 and the RER stop right at Les Halles.
Also sometimes if I reaaaally gotta transfer and it's a nice day I'll go outside and walk to the other entrance.
I kinda like Chatelet, at least outside of rush hour. Agreed it's not great if you're in a rush, but as a tourist it's fine.
it feels like an endless maze... it's crazy that châtlet-less halles is connected to châtlet as well. truly an overwhelming station to be in if you don't understand how to get out
Chatelet-Les Halles is the busiest African metro station.
What impressed me and shocked first time I used RER was when a train pulled into station while another train was leaving... CRAZY tight service running. Literally stand on the platform and watch 2 trains at both ends, one speeding away another slowing to stop. 🤯
Not possible.
Go to nation, Auber, or Étoile and you'll see it tens of times a day.
@@wadzar He ain't lying, it's true.
@@wadzar it is
Mea culpa!
I grew up in Île-de-France on the J Transilien line till I moved out at 18 years old. Like any kid from the outer Parisian suburb, i had to take the train to get to high school, i took the train then RER then Metro to get to some events in Paris, I had to cross the entire region to visit friends, ... I used all kinds of transit systems in the entire region and Paris itself.
If you ask local people about Paris and the region's transit system, most of them will tell you how it's terrible, always late, dirty, expensive, not enough convenient... And I would probably said the same thing when I was 18. All I could see about our trains and metros is the hours I spent standing up under the snow waiting for a train to arrive because of drivers on strike. All i could think is that it's barely functional and maintained, and people don't even care about it. So I didn't care either.
Now almost 10 years older, I've been to other places. Lyon, Strasbourg, Annecy, and now living in Montréal Canada. Each time I come back home, I feel happy. Because what I used to think of as an eyesore and a national shame, I now know is actually something to be proud of, something that many people could not even dream of, something that is not to be taken for granted and normal. Heck, I didn't need a driver's license and a car to do anything for 18 years, I could just use my yearly 300€ Navigo card and go basically anywhere in the entire damn region and I thought this was normal! Traveling makes you change how you see your world. Even at a small scale.
As someone who took RER A and B daily for years: We used to have single-level trains on the A, and while I tend to agree the new stock is mostly stairs, it's still somehow better and slightly less crowded!
A few precisions from a daily RER user :
- RER A double-deckers are a great improvement in capacity,. The seat count may not be that impressive, but since the line is stupidly overcrowded at rush hour, the rows and platforms serve as standing place for unfortunate commuters such as your servant
- The reason why RER B is still single-level is the height of that damned tunnel between Chatelet and Gare du Nord. It's regularly discussed to redo it, and the proposition is regularly dismissed as "nah, let's connect some random suburb instead"
- RER E is currently expanding west, with stops at La Defense supposedly in 2024 and then a bucolic trip to Mantes some 30km away, the goal being,, believe it or not, to relieve line 1 and A. At this point we should just raze Paris and replace it by a 300m wide train line
- All the RER lines should-would-could-eventuallould be connected by the Grand Paris project that would make a loop around the suburbs, allowing lower-class citizens to visit each others without bothering quality people in Paris, that's a great thing. The project is due to complete shortly before the Andromeda galaxy hits the Milky Way
Before what 😂😂😂
The statment on rer B is false. Rer D have 2lvl train and use the same tunnel.
@@leonardreymond9868 Yes, I've checked on their site, you're right. But there are some heavy work on the whole line tp accomodate the double deckers and they won't run before 2025 (at best).
The gare du nord tunnel is used by standard two deckers Z2N of the D line
Rer e c’est jusqu’à Nanterre la Folie en 2024
The RER is awesome. I remember the first time I visited Paris in 1988 and was amazed by the huge stations underground. In addition, the ride quality has something only the French can do. It feels like the trains are on air. Chatelet les Halles is a station of grand proportions. I think it is the only station in the world that has one metro line, line 4, with 2 stops within one station.
It might be... Unless you count the Saint-Lazare-Havre-Caumartin-Opéra complex, where line 3 has 3 different stops :) I'll concede however that the route on foot is quite a bit more complicated than "walk in a straight line across Châtelet-Les-Halles".
I like that it short stops like a metro - therefore it's not so slow like the S-Bahn systems in Germany
Canada has a shopping centre so large that it has two metro stops ;)
@@user-jk2zm7uq5s Les halles is a shopping center with 1 metro and 3 rer
Also, Line 4 les Halles station was actually displaced closer to the RER station when it was built (the former station was in front of St Eustache Church were the garden is now); so Line 4 was effectively SHORTENED in the operation losing about 100 meters in length. The switcheru happened in the course of three days, one track at a time. The old tunnel was in the air when the shopping center complex was being built, not unlike New York Subways lines under the World Trade Center during the rebuilding after 9/11, although the tunnel was still in one piece and covered in plastic, it was demolished after the swtich from the older to the newer station.
A really nice video overall, you just forgot to mention how line C is gonna lose its loop to be replaced by a tram-train which will make looking at its map a bit less confusing
I hope he won't forget to mention it in his future video about Paris trams. The old loop branch of the RER C line will become the Tram 12 line
@@8jof544 Exactly my plan!
Which section is being eliminated?
@@obkb1 That's the branch C8, from Savigny to Versailles Chantiers. And it won't be eliminated, instead it will be transformed to receive trams (firstly the southern half to Massy-Palaiseau), plus a new part will be built on streets on the south side to Evry-Courcouronnes.
@@8jof544 Thanks!
Glad I could help making this video :) Nice job as usual
It's interesting to note that RER A and B also contain among the oldest rail lines of France (and probably in the world), considering it's now being used as a frequent mass-transit system today is astonishing. RER A to St-Germain-en-Laye was finished in 1837 and was the first line of France to be built and used only for passenger transit. RER B southern side was built between 1846 and 1867, up to Luxembourg station (south of Chatelet les Halles but not that far) and is incredibly curving, imposing huge restrictions for choosing rolling stocks. Really puts the engineering challenges in their context.
If anyone is wondering, line E is technically not part of the RER since RER lines are converted suburban Transilien lines that pass-through Paris. So, since it's stopping in Paris, it's not an RER yet. Most Parisians are not even aware the line exists since it doesn't go to important destinations outside of Paris. It was supposed to be extended to la Défense and further before 2000's, but the tunnel section between Saint-Lazare and Magenta caused subsidences above, shortly after opening. So they had to stop everything to repair that, it cost so much that the project had to be delayed (and they certainly could not continue like this under Paris).
The RER B only has single-level trains because they couldn't upgrade to bi-level trains. Since the tunnel sections of the southern part is so old, they had to upgrade emergency exits first. Larger trains mean larger crowds, and evacuating them in a tunnel designed almost 200 years ago usually don't comply. That's why bi-level trains are coming out only now on this line.
Line E isn't useless for a lot of people living in the east/north east suburbs and working in Paris. Once the extension to La Défense will be completed, line E will even be crucial in order to divert part of the busy line A trafic.
Rer B can, actually, have bi-level trains (and it will be the case in 2026). The "problem" about bi-level on the rer B is different. Indeed, rer B is, a kinda metro (maybe more than some "official" metros in the world), so, to simplify the passengers flux, it's better to have a lot of side doors,, which is really difficult with bi-level trains...
@@clemsuryoutube798
Yeah, I can see the RER B being basically a metro, considering how close to each other some stations are, like Port-Royal/Luxembourg/Saint-Michel per example.
@@clemsuryoutube798 It's not the reason since RER A has 3 doors per car with bi-level trains. They just didn't have the money to replace them and upgrade the line to standards.
@@ogamiitto8627 Not saying it's useless, just saying it's not as known as the other RER to the point many people are surprised the line even exists when I tell them about it, which never happened with other RER lines.
17:10 I've always apreciated french unique engineering. You can see similair things in their cars and other industrial things; a unique way of doing things. It might not always be the best, but they try something different. Awesome in my book :)
As a french i think it's both a blessing and a curse.
Sometimes it's nice to reinvent the wheel, sometimes it's just pain in the ass.
@@alexandremoi331 I can imagine 😄
Fantastic last 2022 video!
I'll just add a precision : they "will" not build an intermediate station on line E at Porte Maillot : it IS built and currently in the finishing stage, much like the gigantic one under La Défense which has its own tracks separate from RER A.
The West extension of line E is almost ready, phase 1 to Nanterre La Folie will soon open, then phase 2 up to the far reaching end of the Western suburbs will open a year later.
There are a few videos available here showing the new stations (Porte Maillot, La Défense and Nanterre la Folie) of line E's West extension in a very advanced stage.
Porte Maillot is particularly nice and interesting with its "light well".
I'm very excited for the upcoming opening of phase 1.
Sadly, the new rolling stock is delayed due a production issue, for which the region / IDFM is super angry as the new trains are absolutely needed for the high frequency goal to alleviate RER A's (and M1's) burden.
Kudos for the video and enjoy your NYE.
I used the Paris Metro and RER for twenty years before I retired and generally found it pretty good. Having frequently used RER B to the south, it is a bit frustrating that there are so many stations where the train stops. Even more frustrating was that the RER didn't go within easy walking distance of where I wanted to go. However, that is a perennial issue with public transport: the further you go out from the centre of a metropolis, the more the radial lines fan out and the larger the areas that are not adequately served.
Personally, I'm french and I really think this video was extremely well explained and very clear. Great job !
The RER is fantastic. The crazy thing is just the sheer size and scale of it all, the RER A has an 18km long Central tunnel and extended far far out, its like the precursor to the Elizabeth line with a similar length tunnel. But they have 5 of them! Albeit not as long, but 5 central tunnels all longer than 5km for a commuter rail network is just insane. The only thing that even comes close here in the UK is the Thameslink central tunnels (video on thameslink core would be cool) and northern city line (basically a giant tube tunnel for mainline trains), but those are smaller commuter railways. The sheer scale of the thing is just crazy
Watching now. Had the opportunity to ride the RER-A from Paris to Disneyland Paris this past August. Great system with fantastic frequency.
As a regular rider of NJ Transit commuter rail and occasional rider of Metro North/LIRR, I wish the NYC area had such a service.
Ask your politicians!
@@RMTransit I’m in a deep blue region, with heavy support for mass transit….. but not that heavy of support.
@@MidnightAspec Too much money embezzlement in the US for construction projects. In NYC they spent 6 billion dollars just to add 3 new stations on some already existing line and cosmetic work here and there. For a comparison the Grand Paris Project which encompasses retrofitting the entire network with cosmetic work but also heavy work like elevating the old platforms, changing the old tracks, refurbishing tunnels, putting thousands of elevators and escalators everywhere, extending several lines, building new stations, building 4 new metro lines over 200 km of tracks, much more tramway lines, cost 36 billion euros and people were already complaining for the overspending and every single euro has to be strictly justified now. Same issues with high speed trains and even the current train network in the US.
What I really admire are the extremely gigantic vehicles used. Especially on line A. Absolutely incredible.
RER C and D host the biggest ones.
Yes, and that's funny how the newest EMU seems to have an armour haha! But well if you go on RER C/D, or in some Transilien lines which has Regio 2N EMUs (line N and R) , it's also such impressive machines !
A great video that gives a nice external point of view on our system. One HUGE downside however of the RER and Transilien network is that many tracks are shared, as you said, meaning that often a single accident or problem in one of the main line, like line A or B, can delay or bring down a huge part of the network and create many problems. Line B is the the most infamous for its delays and problems, mostly due to the single shared tunnel to access the main portion in Paris.
absolutely
Right I'm using everyday RER B Drancy to Paris it's very bad service and getting more bad . everyday's morning or evening it's surprise, luggage problems,person inside tunnel, material issue,and many more problems never know if I will be on time for job or back home....I forget STRIKE every 3 month for more money,and working get salary up french gouv afraid open pocket.the reason is this monopole! no concurrence power to block the France .....
@@fabricedulin252 There aren't strikes every month and disruptive problems everyday. Stop lying. The punctuality rate in 2021, during Covid, without enough staff and big constructions everywhere was 87%. A delay starts from 5 minutes.
@@puccaland U are not use everyday ,that difference with me,ask many users of RER B and U will get same response.
@@fabricedulin252 The problem is that most of the French public is convinced of living in a hell hole.
Same for the RER : most users are adamant that it's the worst system on the planet or that it's extremely expensive...
Surprisingly, expats living in Paris (area) for decades and using the very same lines everyday have a VERY different opinion about them...
There are problems on the RER B but far less than what you're saying and far less than on the D line.
Line D is the one that is much more affected by the single tunnel issue.
Plus, there's no tunnel interlining on the RER except on B & D between Chatelet and Gare du Nord.
10:59 You'd be surprised to know that at least with RER C, the "RER" actually stands for "Réseau Escargot Régional".
The D line won that name too 😅😢
@@8jof544 nah the line C is definitely taking that name within Paris. You can almost travel faster by bus or by bike on the Intramuros section.
@@YsterYuki The central section of the RER C is the perfect counter-example of mass transit : stops every 100 meters (or at lest is looks like that) with trains that are absolutely not meant for that (the Z2N with their tons of seats and scarce doors) and some inefficient stations as well (Saint-Michel with its very low platforms while the trains have high entries). The frequency is high (albeit not as much as it used to be with 24 tph !) but the ridership quite low, helping the whole thing to work quite reliably.
@@joriss5 ...and that's why i love taking line C whenever i can, because i know there's always nobody
So impressive. Good points about transit making a city into a region. Also, it seems like technology development and transit planning went hand in hand in Paris. That kind of cooperation- and public support to do that - seem very French. Thanks and happy new year! / PS The Magenta station is intense! Very unassuming entrance - probably to blend in with street- opens into a really deep station. Wikipedia: “There are nine levels in the station, with the RER using the lower-most basement.”
Strasbourg has indeed launched a new RER-like train network and other cities are implementing one like Bordeaux. But there is already a fantastic network already working between France and Switzerland in the Genève area, the Léman Express. Go check it out!
However those "RER" projects generally don't involve any new tunnel. They just mean running more all-day suburban trains on existing networks, with capacity improvements when we're lucky (as in Strasbourg) and hopefully fare integration with the urban network (and maybe new stations on existing corridors later).
@@joriss5 Tunneling would be very expensive. But truly having meaningful RER networks imply massive investments over 10-15 years. So far the money isn't there.
I live in Strasbourg and this is news to me. Are you talking about the CTS network?
@@SuperKiki93 No the REME, Réseau Express Métropolitain Européen, it just has been launched but with difficulties
@@etbadaboum Okay I just checked it and indeed it has been existing for a month already. However it feels more like putting more TER trains than creating a whole new dedicated network such as the RER in Paris and IDF.
As a German, RER C doesn't look look like a single line. It looks like a whole network where someone decided to just name all the lines the same.
Great vidéo, I live near la Défense and I got a few remarks. 1) I am so used to using the Metro and the RER interchangeably that I find it weird to separate the two networks. Sure the type of trains, their frequencies and reach are not the same, but they're too similar for rides inside the city. 2) RATP/SNCF interconnexions are quite often the weak spot of line A and B when there is a strike, forcing passengers from one train to another in order to continue onwards, especially on the rer B where people have to go from the underground station to the surface station of gare du Nord. 3) I was very lost entering the New York metro system earlier this year because of all those lines and I only just realized that it is just branched lines that are treated as as many different lines as there are branches.
A little late. Congratulations on all the really thorough and well scripted videos throughout 2022! I have found myself having to watch this video twice just to comprehend somewhat the complexity of Paris' RER and I am sure you would put many Parisians to shame with the knowledge that you now have of their system. It also appears you stand alone within the transit oriented CZcams world for the sheer volume of videos that you push out. That is a testament to all the hard work you and C put into this channel. Well done.
i was recently in paris (staying in la défense), and it blew my mind that taking transit was actually faster than driving, despite it being a 40 minute drive, and that the RER was able to take me directly to the city center, ran every 5-6 minutes and allowed me to use the same ticket as for the tram and metro (for only 2 euros too!) . meanwhile in the us where i live, commuter trains are every 30-40 minutes and that's actually considered impressive by us standards. incredible how a city of 2 million people in france has the best quality transit while some cities of the same or a bigger size here are lucky to even have an amtrak station...
Normal, it's been 30 years since anti-car policies do everything to hinder road traffic in France and especially in Paris.
I use the RER A everyday to & from work and barley have any issues. Definitely more convenient than the metro in the city (as well as line B) 👌🏼
Awesome, interesting video! Love, absolutely love Paris' RER and Metro systems! They take you to any areas of Paris and then some, with less waiting time between trains. Other types of transportation are neither needed nor necessary for us.
I always wanted to know more about RER. So informative. Loved it.
Can't thank you enough. 👍👍❤️
I just visited Paris and I think I like the RER even more than the Metro!
Although nothing beats sitting in the front of the automatic metro pretending you're driving
Small details such as drivers changing in sections of the line show your research is extensive, great video, very interesting 👍
6:39 The rer A is really in a class of its own, as an rer B rider I'm always jealous when I see rer A trains on the other side of the platform at châtelet coming what feels like every 10 seconds while I've been waiting for mine for 10 minutes 🤣
And still RER B has nearly as many riders, impressive!
@@jan-lukas Not really 1.4 million vs 900 000
@@Parmatt It's closer from 1 million, you can be sure of it. By the way on the RER B we don't have double-decker trains, so... we can discuss about it you see what I mean
I am french and I take rer closely everyday to go to work
Its easier and more reliable to take the train from 2 cities in north africa country for example than 40miles with RER A
every single day technical problem
they fix it next day problem
maintenance is very poor
unreliable . a shame
Incredible work, great video. I'm amazed to find so much expertise on a foreign channel when there are a few quality CZcams channels dedicated only to public transport in the Paris region
Those double decker trains look awesome
The RER Class Z20500 is one of the top 10 best sounding transit stock in the world. I know that's a minor irrelevant detail but the sound is just *chefs kiss*
Yep, and Epic Strike too!
Great video ! The RER A line has automatic piloting in the central tunnel, so you can see a train passing every minute during rush hour. New trains have been ordered also from CAF and Bombardier for RER B to modernize rolling stock.
Every 140 seconds, doors opens 😉
Das Auto hat mir 😂
Interesting that they are going to be from CAF!
@@RMTransit SNCF also went with CAF for new Intercity train, named Oxygen. Recently, a mock-up was shown at different station from Brive-la-Gaillarde and Clermont-Ferrand, to see what they look like. Nice, but the seating seems very worst that the old carriages we had unfortunately.
Watching this on the RER A 😆 Great video, as usual
Thank you so much!
Just been back from Paris where I had a healthy dose of RER. Good timing!
Thanks for the amazingly informative video!
So refreshing to hear a positive point of view about the RER!
I actually love RER A. Living next to la défense, it is a proper God sent ! High frequency, beautiful new trains... Even if peak hours are packed, you know it's not for too long.
And the line modernization really has improved service quality !!
Can't wait for you to make some research on what we call here ' Le Grand Paris' ! 👍
One of the best videos by RM Transit
Interesting, Châtelet les halles is the middle of my day commute when I switch from RER A and B. And with the daily delay I never give a deep and deserve respect to this big infrastructure that I use since more than 20 years. Thanks for this hindsight.
Rush hour on the RER is literally what I'm experiencing rn. RER A is so busy lol
1.4 million passengers per working day (monday to friday). it is the most used line in Europe and represents 1 quarter of the RER traffic
A Saint-Lazare - Montparnasse RER was part of the RER master plan from the beginning but due to budgetary restrictions, they extended Metro line 13 instead by merging it with the original line 14. That partly explains the overcrowding on line 13, why it's Paris' least favourite Metro line and why the current line 14 is being extended parallel to its Saint-Denis branch.
Also they initiated an enlargement of Line M13 stations and Platforms to accomodate trains extended from 5 to 6 cars but this project was Never completed.
Really nice video. Once again well done ! Paris region is as a whole is a work in progress, because there's metro & RER extensions + the creation of 200km new automatic metro.
The RER is a everyday challenge, especially RER B & D because of the shared tunnel between Chatelet and Gare du Nord.
(If you can avoid Chatelet les Halles, it's better because it easy to get lost as there're so many exists & lines at the same place...)
Happy new year !
The northern branch of RER C to Pontoise has such a complexe history and design that it deserves its own video.
It was created in 1988 by linking several existing or disused rail infrastructures. It took over the Auteuil line, the last surviving part of Paris's Petite Ceinture railway. That's why is has so many stations inside Paris and trains can be very slow. Due to NIMBY opposition (of course...) the route is also not great and it features sharp turns and steep slopes that contribute to the line's low speed.
However it has truly great stations from the 1900s and the viaduct over the the Seine offers a beautiful view on the Tour Eiffel.
Thanks Reece for an extremely comprehensive video, and it is certainly wonderful for you to be able to end 2022 on such a positive note. I would add two related points about line C. In the city centre line C is confined to the south bank of the Seine, the 'Rive Gauche', and the line C stations in the centre are close together, unlike the rest of the RER. However these two facts have (I believe) enabled the Paris City Authorities to severely limit road traffic along the Rive Gauche.
On introducing RERs into provincial cities, note that the Geneva Trans-Leman RER is jointly run by Swiss Railways and SNCF, and extends well into France.
Indeed! The leman express network around Geneva severely lacks capacity and modern infrastructure on the French side - so much money spent on Paris and these lines in the outer regions don't even get double tracks!, but it already works as a proper RER network with a new trunk tunnel (and beautiful stations) across Geneva. It has also beaten the ridership expectations, despite covid, home office, and several strikes by French train drivers.
@@ronylouis0 Too many stops!
@@ronylouis0 It serves strictly no ones, except everyone that is visiting the Museum of Natural History (Austerlitz), Notre-Dame and the Quartier Latin (Saint-Michel), the Orsay Museum, the Invalides and its Museum of Military History, and the Eiffel Tower.
@@abelsuisse9671 well it’s not black or white. Problems exist on both sides.
I can tell you the CFF also have tons of problems including recruiting drivers. There are also a massive issue in the Lausanne train station with a fiasco on the design, and infrastructure issues on the busiest train corridor of Switzerland between Geneva and Zurich especially the section between Geneva and Lausanne where a hole stopped the network during 2 days. The rolling stock provided by Stadeler on the Leman Express also have a lot of problems.
@@ronylouis0 Well living in the south of Ile-de-France, I'm frigging glad the C exists and I actually go to these places. Especially with the Saint-Michel station currently closed, it's a pain going to the Quartier Latin because the connexion to get line 10 at Austerlitz is quite unpleasant. You might not notice it because you might have a different use and needs from the line, but it is actually full of tourists or locals going to or from the city centre to Versailles or somewhere else without having to change. You can have a look at the twitter feed of the RER C, and people are annoyed when they announced Saint-Michel would be closed for another 5 months, or when it's cut between Orsay and Invalides for absolutely no reason during weekends, or when the summer kicks in and it gets so cumbersome going anywhere between Austerlitz and Javel.
brooooo, i'm french and I live in Paris...This...is THE BEST explanation and a very detailed one of paris metro, rer, trains in general(SNCF), ... Your amazing my guy ! 🤟
I take the RER B every day since 2015. I've lived quite some adventures on it...
People say it isn't reliable, but I've been ditched by RER B only once in seven years, at La Courneuve-Aubervilliers, where line 12 of the metro is now within walking distance.
Honnêtement tu dois avoir bien de la chance. Après je suis du même avis que c'est quand même assez fiable ( big up à tous les agents en sous-effectifs qui gèrent pas mal :D ! ), mais moi je prends le RER B tous les jours, et quand j'arrive avec moins de 3 minutes de retard sur l'heure prévue c'est un miracle en vrai. Et je te parle même pas des problèmes d'affichage réguliers, des trains qui changent de mission en cours de route (ça m'est énormément arrivé et c'est vraiment le pire truc), des trains en pannes, en septembre/octobre il y en a eu quelques uns quand même ! Comparé au RER C/D même si c'est pire, de leur côtés les Z2N sont vraiment bien plus fiables. Après moi je suis sur la partie Sud, peut-être que t'as pas ces problèmes dans la partie nord ^^
I think RER played a somewhat significant role in Season 3 of Jet Lag the game. I think it was used to reach Massy (?). But what an amazing system
I think the prospect for further major RER network expansions beyond the RER E to la Defense and to the west is quite limited for the next few decades. Paris already has a healthy backlog of approved transit projects awaiting execution or financing. Most of them focus on suburb to suburb connections with metro and trams rather than suburb to center Paris like the RER. Some of these projects will help alleviate the current RER saturation and reliability issues, while a lot of effort is also put into train signaling and new rolling stocks on the existing network. I do like the idea of tunnel between Saint-Lazarre and Montparnasse though!
That's because no RER other than the E which ended at the center of Paris need an extension. They already all go at the edge of the Greater Paris and beyond. However many metro lines and tramway lines have been and will be extended.
There is unfortunely another side to this. RER is often shutdown on multiple points passed a certain hour, making this access to Paris difficult but more so, returning from Paris difficult. You can take the RER to catch up with friends on a saturday night and end up being stuck in Paris with no way to return home other than taking a Uber. So you end up taking your car through traffic to make sure to get home easily.
In rush hour, RER is insanely loaded. If you wish to sit, you can take the long train which has more stops and less people in it but it will double the time of your trip. Otherwise, you'll have to stand compressed between people, sometimes without anything to hold on and avoid falling. This causes people fainting or being hostiles to each other.
Also, most of your friends in Paris aren't really your friends since they tend to taking only Paris subway. They won't come often at your house in suburbs because they can't be stuck away from Paris and most of them don't drive. You will be the one making the trip.
Don't get me wrong, RER is not really the cause of all this. It is a great transport meaning which i use all the time. But it also influenced companies and people to be in Paris, making rents too high and basically making mandatory to work in Paris while living in Ile de France. Too much people are now living around Paris and are taking the same 4 RER lines to go to work. No entire region should rely on such a transportation system instead of developing local neighborhoods and jobs.
YES the main problem today is how most suburbs are just dormitory towns
couldn't have said it better myself
What about the night buses? I always manage to find one, but they probably don't go everywhere, true.
You can't expect the trains to run 24/7 :D
@@Pablitopewpew not really actually. I mean a lot are but there are a lot of cities in the suburbs which are also central districts from some businesses.
The three cities which form saint-quentin en Yvelines holds the headquarters of major companies like Renault and Bouygues.
Same goes for Vélizy which attracts people working at Dassault systems and other major companies.
The real problem of Paris is that there are too many people :/ thus congesting all (very well) developed public transportation system.
The city should hold half as much people..
Another issue with the design (which is fortunately changing with buildings of new lines such as the line 18) is that it's very difficult to get from one suburb to another. All lines interconnect in Paris only, only a few other stations act as interchanges.
Don't get me wrong that is still paradise compared to the USA but it's not perfect yet and sadly, many people still rely on their car to get around, mostly when they live in one city and work in another one which is not Paris itself.
@@JenAiMarreDeSaucisse they do work but first of all, have a major flaw of insecurity (😅) and are quite spaced out in time, one needs to wait quite a long time (like an hour sometimes) if interchange are needed.
Uber and taxis are much more expensive but at least at night they're quite fast, going from the city center to the further suburbs is about 40 minutes drive when there are no jams
This video just reminds me how much of a missed opportunity the Manchester Picc-Vicc tunnel project was. The plan to start off with was to link Manchester's two largest stations and enable easy transfers, but the eventual goal was to build a very RER-style network linking the city's suburbs via the city centre. This could have happened in the 1960s or early 1970s, before Paris built out its system, but sadly national economic issues conspired against it.
As an American, this entire video seems like science fiction
🤣🤣
A few corrections : the extension of the E line to the west does not include absorbing one of the A west branch as completely new tracks are being built to join with the J line instead. I might be wrong but i've never heard any source mentioning that change.
Also, the project NEXTEO has been ditched, to the disbelief of many of the supporters of the scheme and there is currently no plans anymore to double the Chatelet-Paris Nord tunnel. This is really a blow to the ability of the B line to absorb its nearly 2% increase in ridership every year. Today, the line is almost back up to 100% ridership pre covid and more than 900 000 ppl take it every weekday
Awesome video, great work all around
Yes, in the west the line E will take over the current line J service to Mantes via Poissy (on tracks that will be quite saturated also used by long-distance trains). Line A is not supposed to change and will keep its three branches, however an change with the services pattern of the A/J branches to Poissy and Cergy is possible.
Nexteo hasn't been ditched, but delayed for the B/D implementation as the funding isn't there... however it would not be operational until all trains on those lines are replaced and won't bring that much more capacity anyway.
@@joriss5 The lack of political will to double the chatelet - GDN tunnel in the 90's will hurt every suburban inhabitant for the next two decades, its such a shame
Apparently NEXTEO is back on the table again, according to a very recent article of Le Parisien on the RER D.
You're right the Poissy branch will remain after RER E is extended to Mantes-la-Jolie. However there are talks to transfer the branch to Transilien L and replace L services to Cergy with more A services.
Great video, Reece. Happy New Year!🎆🎆🎆
Hey man, your production quality just keeps going up and up! These are now really compelling mini documentaries, and it’s wonderful to see. Wishing you a nice new year!
Thank you Kaitlyn, it means a lot!
Such an amazing system!
As a Londoner I love the RER. It's choas, rammed and not the best of environments to travel in, but it's a impressive workhorse. Here in London, I've been surprised just how quickly Crossrail has filled up like RER A, although still not as busy!
12:12 Just wanted to point out that, the Navigo card is not a card for Paris, it's a card for the whole region where Paris is located, Île-de-France. So basically with the Navigo you can use public tranportations anywhere in Île-de-France, but the rer D extends just a little bit over the region, in the north branch, Creil, it goes to Hauts de France and in the south branch, Malesherbes it goes to Centre Val de Loire
I take the RER A regularily, and the double-decks with three doors per carriage are nice, because you are always near a door when you want to leave the train. Stopping times are usually shorter than with a long carriage with only two doors at the edges, and when leaving the crowded train you push against less people, and for a smaller time, which is nice.
I love Paris, France, and our train 💫
Happy new year's
The transport system in Paris is really amazing. With the métro, RER, transilien, tram and the future grand express it's really incredible. Having lived in Paris for 5 years I know there are a lot of problems with the RER sometimes, but it still is an amazing transport system.
Heck yeah the RER. I wish DC had a RER
NYC could definitely benefit from something like the RER.
@@1978dkelly yeah; through-running the Metro North and NJ Transit would be huge. Hell, just connecting Penn and Grand Central with that central RER segment would be a big deal for NY
I'd claim that this is the purpose of Washington Metro (long traing, big stop distances, long lines, even a through running service of a terminal station).
It could given the existing tunnel!
A very good video for the end of the year 👏. There is one thing to add though, there is also a project for the RER C that is to remove the massy Versailles section in order to turn it into the continuation of the brand new T12 line. Indeed it would better connect Versailles to Évry and it is going to make rer C easier to manage. It is going to heavily improve the service. (There are also projects to take some TGV services turning around Paris off the rer C tracks alowing more service and less traffic problems for the line.)
RER C needs a lot of work so as to not be known as Réseau Escargot Régional C.
Nice video! I haven’t ridden the RER much, but enjoyed the rides when I used it. I took the RER from the airport to Gare du Nord to ride the Eurostar to London! Great experience!
Fun fact : the RER C Line C wasn't originally supposed to be this funky. According to the plans of the 60s, it was supposed to be a 2nd North-South corridor, parallel to the RER B line, connecting St Lazare to Montparnasse. Sadly the costs were considered to be too high and we ended up with the RER C the way it is today. I use it from time to time and find it a certain charm, though!
ça sera le rer F (personne ne voudra le financer mais on peut toujours esperer)
About the trains used on the RER :
- Line A has those special MI2N and MI09 double-deckers, that provide more seating for travellers from the "far" branches while still being efficient for the large crowds of the core.
- Line B has long resisted to double-deckers for various reasons (mostly the shorter station spacing, and the curved platforms that basically forbid to have doors in the middle of the cars). The future MI-NG trains will be a mixed solution with short cars and many doors to solve this and try to crunch more capacity for the million of daily riders (a figure RER B reached in 2019).
- Lines C and D both have Z2N (a longer version on the latter line), trains designed for "far suburbs" services and not really for the RER as they have few doors, many seats and narrow aisles. Line D will soon get RER-NGs (thus people are unhappy because they'll have less seats) in hope to make the whole thing more fluent with more doors and space for standing. Line C will keep Z2Ns until about 2035 while they try to figure out the least bad solution for the future rolling stock (considering some stations have low platforms while others have high platforms due to track sharing with other lines).
- Line E originally has the SNCF version of MI2N (aka the cheap version, with less motors and central doors that are only connected to the lower rooms). Since there are not enough of them SNCF uses some Z50000 Francilien as a stop-gap until the RER NG ordered for the extension are able to take over the whole line.
The Regio2N are no RER rolling stock. They operate Juvisy-Malesherbes and Corbeil-Melin shuttles that are branded "RER D" but never, ever, reach the central tunnels and should not appear on the RER map any more...
Also, RER A, B and C were available to passengers with a *bike* from at least 1998. Allowing eg going to work 25 km away from downtown Paris in 45 minutes +/- 5' door to door. Excellent work (other than this bike omission) @RMTransit.
It is a tolerance in off-peak hours only and if the train is not too crowded.
A bike is made for riding.
@@Lodai974 I used to work all over France and Belgium with a bike. Good luck with 'riding only' when commuting even at a mere 30 km from your place.
@@TukozAki To go to Paris from the suburbs, you don't need a bike. Leave it at the station in the suburbs. The metro network is more than sufficient in Paris.
@@Lodai974 Last time I checked there were people living in Paris (not suburbs), and even a few outside of the Île-de-France, where there are few metro stations.
Also keeping one's proper bike in Paris downtown is so freaking handy when you need/want to freely pass by *anywhere* for lunch or after work hours.
Please I can't wait for the Paris tram video
Me too
For my first trip to Paris I stayed near Disneyland in a Holiday Inn at a bargain price because it was off season. At the time I knew very little about Paris’s transportation system but it turned out I was right next to the RER A station. As a result it took me less than half an hour to get into central Paris or about the same travel time for me to get to downtown Toronto on the subway. After that experience it became very apparent that we were wasting the potential of the GO rail network. I’m glad that you pointed out the poor air quality of the underground stations as that was one aspect I definitely did not like. I can’t imagine what it’s like in really hot weather.
Couldn't agree more, the GO lines are barely being used at all by comparison!!
The first RER in France's regions has already debuted in Alsace. Just a couple of weeks ago Strasbourg's RER opened.
Although it's great news for commuters--and will likely be duplicated soon in Bordeaux and Toulouse--it's less good news for people living in more distant towns in the region who want to be able to get from Wissembourg to Strasbourg, for example. People living outside the Strasbourg-Kehl Eurometroplex are already complaining about reduced service as a result of the new RER's inauguration.
Furthermore, as work-from-home becomes more widespread, transit planners need to avoid overdeveloping commuter networks at the expense of more long distance regional connections. Being able to travel on regular service between market towns and regional capitals like Villefranche de Rouergue to Toulouse or Wissembourg to Strasbourg is the only way to ensure car-free mobility in France's regions.
Fun fact: the TGV is also the RER....many people live in cities 1 hour by tgv from Paris. The TGVs arriving around 8 a.m. are full of workers. 6/ 7 p.m. as well.
Good stuff here but I'm surprised you made no mention of the ongoing Grand Paris Express project, that adds 200 kilometres of tunnels under and around Paris, and how it will connect with the current Metro, RER, and the assorted Trams/LRT of the system.
And Happy New Year to everyone.
I mentioned that in the metro video! Worth a watch
I would proud of the RER is it actually worked smoothly
I'm a daily user of the RER B and believe me this is a hell, this line is full 100% of the time, we need 2 floors each train and automatic doors now
Living near a RER C station and watching this x) : terrific
I love your channel! All things Transportation! Keep up the good work! Oh and Paris has one of my favorite Transportation systems! The intermodal connections are so easy to use!
Thank you so much!
I'm French... Live outside of Paris and work in Paris. Didn't learn much. But the storytelling is great, a lot of informations in a clear understandable way. The work and research is visible. Since the informations are correct, makes me want to watch other videos trusting I'll learn, well trustworthy informations 😁👍
The RER is a great network, but unfortunately it's less and less well managed. I live near Paris and it's more and more complicated. Otherwise very interesting video thank you rmtransit, and happy new year 2023
I think this is a fantastic system for Toronto to aspire to. Shooting high doesn't hurt!
The RER was inspired by the japanese metro cross-running system introduced in 1964, where suburban trains access heavy metro lines. This led to the reuse of the overburdened Saint-Lazare - Saint-Germain line, and the underused Bastille line. This also explains why at planning stages, A&D lines and B&D lines shared the tunnels between Gare de Lyon, Châtelet - Les Halles and Gare du Nord. The traffic observed from the beginning proved that the A line needed all possible capacity, and led to a second tunnel between Châtelet and Gare de Lyon. Unfortunately, the doubling of the B&D tunnel would efficiently improve both lines B and D but it remains elusive, because of high construction costs and potential distruption during works.
This is a clever idea and it would be great if more US cities took this approach. A number of US cities have expressed interest in HSR corridors, but these are difficult to operate at-grade because NIMBY's and street crossings will nerf their speeds. Example...San Fran's and LA's HSR endpoint connections will be ridicusly slow even the central valley sections will be quite fast. If urban HSR were moved underground, then it could remain fast even while going through city cores...but likely couldn't be justified for the passenger miles per hour served. But...if these underground intercity lines were reused as metro lines, then you could kill two birds with one stone. Sadly few urban planners have the foresight to combine intercity and urban metro rail operations.
Yes, but as mentioned in the video the Japanese suburban trains are not nearly as large!
@@RMTransit The first lines of the Tokyo metro, the Ginza and the Marunouchi lines, have short trains, a small loading gauge, and close stations, not unlike the Paris métro. But later lines built for cross running are much larger, and for example the Chiyoda line opened in 1969 uses 200m long, 2.8 meter wide trains, which are the exact dimensions of MI79 and MI84 trains.
The RER system was in no way inspired by the Japanese since plans were made as early as in the late 1920s, which means long before the SNCF and RATP were even created.. So the Paris transport system was just… inspired by itself. The remaking of the Bastille line to convert it into the A lline started as far back as the 1950s and the decision to ditch the la Bastille to Vincennes part of this A line was taken in 1961.
Interesting to see how the double deck trains seem to work well at high frequencies despite some cities shunning them for their supposed prohibitively long passenger loading on/off times, despite the endless stairs lol
Bilevels do have really long dwell times. But the thing with rer is that they have three gigantic doors per car which helps.
But this creates another problem that a lot of space is taken by stairs which basically makes the bilevel design basically useless in terms of adding more capacity.
@@kartik_sinha No, it's not true, the carrying capacity is 1250 per train, and therefore 2500 with two coupled trains.
Compared to the rer b which can transport 850 people per train, so 1700 with two elements
The bilevel train transport an unimaginable number of people, its actually crazy the sheer amount of us we can fit at rush hour on those trains. And yes, one stair case fits 4 people, so 0 space is lost in the process
It was a bad idea, frequency has significantly dropped since the introduction of those trains ten years ago. The same will be for RER B which is completely stupid.
@@quoniam426 frequency has dropped ? What do you mean ? The RER A has one train every 2 minute in each direction at peak hour, i take it everyday.
In the center branch, there are trains so often you dont even have to look at the timetables, you just wait a couple seconds and another one comes
Chatelet les halles was confusing but now i dont get lost, but to go metro 7 to RER A its huge walk , i always admire the engineers who built it .
A video about the incredible Tram-System of Basel would be cool!
Paris public transport system is awesome. A bit dirty, but awesome.
First came the Madrid metro, where the Madrid Cercanías was mentioned. Then came the Paris metro, and the RER was mentioned. Now the RER has come. Is the Madrid Cercanías coming soon?
Ojalá
Likely yes :)
I love regional rapid transit systems so much. I live in the Bay Area in California which has BART, which despite it's popular portrayal as a metro is absolutely a regional transit system very similar to the RER in many aspects. It's amazing to be able to take a train from a satellite city or suburb to a central city center in barely any more time than driving (often even less time once factoring in parking), especially without (usually) having to wait upwards of an hour or longer for a train to arrive like is the case with many regional and commuter trains in North America. Admittedly BART isn't as good as the RER when it comes to frequency and it has a lot of issues with delays due to excessive interlining, but it's miles ahead of most regional transit in North America.
Love the RER
I was watching this and a couple other videos on the RER and I couldn’t help to be:
1- impressed by the sheer size of the system and how it complements the subway
2- the size of Paris transit system and how well one complements the other
3- how similar the CPTM system in São Paulo is to RER, but way smaller and without the lines crossing the city center, so it’s more like the Transilien. But it’s same idea: a mix of commuter rail and rapid transit to suburbs and reaching the city center connecting with the subway.
Also, as a user of CPTM, I would love to see this RER A double decker train with that amount of seats on it’s lines 🤣🤣🤣
RER is Strasbourg (aka REME, because nothing in Strasbourg is done without adding European to the name 😆 ) launched its first stage just 3 weeks ago!
It's not a traditional RER - Strasbourg is lucky to have its main station as a through station, so all that was needed to be done is to combine various terminating regional services and transform them into through ones. In fact I'm surprised it wasn't done earlier as the city is ripe for it - there are so many regional services, all with the same trains and electrification types, and all were terminating in Strasbourg.
The plans also include a massive increase in the number of trains, many station upgrades, new trains, and future expansions to more branch lines (including one to Germany). I think at the moment it's only 1 REME line, but there are 4 or 5 planned.
That's how German S-Bahns usually start, and from there the busiest lines get their own tracks to increase reliability, and as you said the "Stammstrecke" where most lines come together also gets major upgrades with more platforms, sometimes more tracks and so on
i remember visiting by now my ex in pairs, I was terrified with all this, but maps and tickets helped me so much when I was underground
The former project managing director of delhi RRTS also said that he looks to rer for inspiration.
As he should!
The service pattern is not easy to understand if you're travelling to the suburbs. It took many trips to Paris and travelling into the city from CDG on line B before I realised that some line B trains skip many of the stations between Gare du Nord and CDG airport. I only found out when I took one of these express trains by chance. These express services are rarely mentioned in any materials that explain how to get from CDG to the city on the RER!
On every plaform there are screens with the train terminus, departure time, its name (a four letters coded name related to its itinerary), and all the stations where the train will stop.
After living next to Paris for 18 years and using public transportation daily for about 7 of them, I started disliking the RER more and more.
Now with this video, you almost managed to gaslight me into thinking that the RER was a good train network. Well played!