FRANCE: The renewal of the rolling stock fleet used on the RER suburban network around Paris is continuing, with the latest generation RER NG trainsets entering service on Line D in December.
The RER NG fleet comprises two subclasses, Z58000 for Line E and Z58500 for Line D. The first of the EMUs entered service on Line E in November 2023 as part of the renewal and extension of the route under the Éole programme. Now they are being rolled out on the busy Line D which runs north-south through the heart of Paris, linking Nord and Lyon stations along its route.
The partly double-deck EMUs are being produced by Alstom with nine of its plants involved in their assembly: Valenciennes-Petite Forêt, Crespin, Ornans, Tarbes, Le Creusot, Petit-Quevilly, Villeurbanne, La Rochelle and Saint-Ouen.
The layout is designed to maximise passenger comfort while recognising the different journey types that are made across the extensive RER network. The end cars of both variants are single-deck, while the other vehicles offer seats on two floors; the doors are also wider than on previous designs to facilitate faster passenger ingress and exit.
The seven-car Line D sets are slightly longer than the six-car Line E trains at 130 m. They have a capacity of 1 861 passengers, of which 606 can be seated, while also being equipped with retractable steps to serve Line D’s low-height platforms.
Work is being undertaken along Line D to reinforce power supplies and modify platforms to accommodate the new trains, of which eight are currently in use on off-peak services as they bed in. Eurobalises are being fitted along the infrastructure to control selective door opening functions.
No less than €900m has been allocated to modernise the key rolling stock depots at Joncherolles and Villeneuve. Deployment of the RER NG fleet will be gradual, with the next steps being operation on peak-hour Line D services. A total of 32 trains is expected to be delivered by the end of this year.
- Alstom announced on December 9 that it had received an order for a further 35 RER NG trainsets for Line E. This option on the original order is valued at €520m and takes the RER NG order book to 166 trainsets, of which 130 are for Line E and 36 for Line D. Overall, transport authority Ile-de-France Mobilités holds options for up to 371 trainsets within a budget of approximately €3·7bn.
