RER A
Encyclopedia : R : RE : RER : RER A
| RER A | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year opened | 1977 | ||
| Last extension | 1994 | ||
| Rolling stock | MS 61, MI 84, MI 2N | ||
| Stations served | 46 | ||
| Length (km) | 108.5 | ||
| Length (miles) | 67.4 | ||
| Average interstation (m) | 2,411 | ||
| Journeys made | 272,800,000 (per annum) | ||
| |||
The RER A is one of the five lines in the RER subway system serving Paris, France.
The line runs from Saint-Germain-en-Laye (A1), Cergy Le Haut (A3), and Poissy (A5). To Boissy-Saint-Léger (A2) and Marne-la-Vallée - Chessy (A4)
- First inauguration : December 9, 1977
- Length : 108.5 km (67.4 miles)
- Number of stops : 46
- Traffic (2004) : 272,800,000 journeys per annum (figure only for the RATP section of the line)
Contents
Popular success and responses
Line A has been a runaway success since its inauguration and, with its million-plus passengers per workday, has frequently been presented as the busiest urban transit line in the world. This claim has been disputed (Gerondeau C, 2003 — see reference) by reference to the figure of 103,080 passengers per hour claimed by the Japanese Ministry of Transport for the JR Chuo Line in Tokyo — almost twice the equivalent figure (55,000) for the RER Line A (both 1992). Japan being something of a case apart in the field of rail transport, accounting for 40% of all train journeys in the world, it clearly remains the case that the RER Line A is an exceptionally busy route.Ever-increasing traffic volume and the need to ward off imminent saturation have been major factors in RATP and SNCF's planning since the inauguration of the Line A. At least five major capital investment decisions can be directly traced back to this issue:
- In the early 1980s RATP contracted German conglomerate Siemens to develop a dynamic traffic control system that would remove the capacity constraints caused by conventional block traffic management. This system, called SACEM (Système Automatique de Contrôle, d'Entretien et de Maintenance), remains today one of the world's most advanced traffic control systems and enables extremely short spacing (well under 90 seconds) between trains during rush hour. (Parisians have become used to the somewhat surreal sight of a train pulling into a station as the one before it is just clearing the platform!)
- Around the same time, RATP had to order a significant number of additional MI79/MI84 trains to remedy premature wear and tear on its existing MS61 rolling stock caused by over-utilization of Line A.
- Later in the 1980s, the need to relieve congestion on the central segment of Line A was a key factor in selecting the route of the new, fully automated Line 14 (also known as METEOR) of the Métro.
- The same need governed the choice of the route of RER Line E in the early 1990s and is a factor in current plans for that line's westward or south-westward extension.
- An entirely new class of double-decker trains (MI2N series) entered service in 1998, in part a product of RATP's belief that no further infrastructure improvement (short of an extremely expensive track quadrupling) would relieve congestion on Line A.
Chronology
- December 14th, 1969 : The Paris subway operator, the RATP, buys the "ligne de Vincennes" from the SNCF which connected Bastille with Boissy-Saint-Léger in the east. A new tunnel was built between Vincennes and Nation, which replaced Bastille as the terminus.
- February 21st, 1970 : The RATP buys the "ligne de St-Germain" from the SNCF which connected St-Lazare train station with St-Germain-en-Laye in the west. A new tunnel was built between La Défense and the Place de l'Etoile, which replaced St-Lazare as the terminus.
- November 23rd, 1971 : The "ligne de St-Germain" was extended from the Place de l'Etoile to a new station Auber through a new tunnel.
- December 9th, 1977 : Both lines are connected with a new tunnel giving the birth to the RER A line. Two new stations were inaugurated : Châtelet-les Halles and Gare de Lyon. A new branch was created in the east from Vincennes to Noisy-le-Grand.
- December 19th, 1980 : The line was extended from Noisy-le-Grand to Torcy.
- May 29th, 1988 : A new branch was created in the west from Nanterre to Cergy.
- 1989 : Another branch was created in the west from Maisons-Laffitte to Poissy.
- 1994 : The line was extended from Torcy to Marne-la-Vallée in order to create a direct link from the centre of Paris to Disneyland Paris. It was also extended from Cergy-St-Christophe to Cergy-Le Haut the same year.
Map
List of RER A stations
- A1
- * Saint-Germain-en-Laye
- * Le Vésinet – Le Pecq
- * Le Vésinet – Centre
- * Chatou – Croissy
- * Rueil-Malmaison
- * Nanterre – Ville
- * Nanterre – Université
- A3, A5
- * A3
- ** Cergy – Le Haut
- ** Cergy – Saint-Christophe
- ** Cergy – Préfecture
- ** Neuville – Université
- ** Conflans – Fin d'Oise
- ** Achères – Ville
- * A5
- ** Poissy
- ** Achères – Grand Cormier
- * Maisons-Laffitte
- * Sartrouville
- * Houilles – Carrières-sur-Seine
- Nanterre – Préfecture
- La Défense
- Charles de Gaulle - Étoile
- Auber
- Châtelet - Les Halles
- Gare de Lyon
- Nation
- Vincennes
- A2
- * Fontenay-sous-Bois
- * Nogent-sur-Marne
- * Joinville-le-Pont
- * Saint-Maur – Créteil
- * Le Parc de Saint-Maur
- * Champigny
- * La Varenne – Chennevières
- * Sucy – Bonneuil
- * Boissy-Saint-Léger
- A4
- * Val de Fontenay
- * Neuilly-Plaisance
- * Bry-sur-Marne
- * Noisy-le-Grand – Mont d'Est
- * Noisy – Champs
- * Noisiel
- * Lognes
- * Torcy
- * Bussy-Saint-Georges
- * Val d'Europe
- * Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy
See also
External links
- [RATP official website] (in French)
- [RATP English speaking website]
- [Interactive Map of the RER (from RATP's website)]
- [Interactive Map of the Paris métro (from RATP's website)]
- [Mobidf website, dedicated to the RER (unofficial)] (in French)
- [Metro-Pole website, dedicated to Paris public transports (unofficial)] (in French)
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