RER
The Réseau express régional d' Ile- de -France is a rapid rail network ( S -Bahn ) in Greater Paris and the Ile- de -France.
On a route network of 587 km of five lines of two different operators be served. The lines A and B are jointly operated by RATP and SNCF, the lines C, D and E only by the SNCF. RER is the abbreviation of Réseau Express Régional, so Regional express network. The special significance of the RER network is that, in contrast to the suburban trains in tunnels Transilien crosses under the capital Paris and thus passage creates connections from the suburbs beyond the capital to the suburbs the opposite direction. Within Paris, the RER express serves as a kind of relief the Paris Metro.
History
In contrast to other cities such as New York, Berlin, Vienna and Hamburg, which had as urban elevated railroads before the Métro connection tracks, such projects did not come in 19th century Paris on the discussion out, and it was decided, instead, a purely urban build metro network. This was S- like routes to the 1970s initially on the table.
The current RER has its origins in the disused by SNCF or their predecessors suburban railways. The operation of the southern section of today's RER B was taken over in 1937 by the then Paris Métro society. In 1969 the RATP another line ( today the eastern section of the RER A), whose terminus was moved from the Gare de la Bastille in the underground station nation. Shortly after the opening of a new railway line followed in the west to connect the suburb of La Defense, where just the Parisian high -rise district was emerging.
The real "birth" of the RER is the year 1977, when the two parts of the line A linked by a tunnel and the line B was also performed in a tunnel to the common Châtelet Les Halles station. This station is located on the site of the former Halles. At the latest at this time also recognized the SNCF the success of the concept and took over since the opening and operation of the still following lines:
- The RER B was extended north to the Gare du Nord and connected with ending at regional lines. For underground platforms were built at the Gare du Nord.
- 1979 combines the SNCF termini Invalides and Orsay through a short tunnel section along the southern bank of the Seine, and thus forms the line C. This means that the last two terminal stations of regional transport were abolished. 1988 created the station Saint -Michel Notre Dame at the intersection of lines B and C on the south bank of the Seine.
- Since 1987, the line goes from D Châtelet through the tunnel of B to Gare du Nord and from there not yet served by the B regional lines into the countryside. In 1995, she is out in a new tunnel parallel to the line A via Gare de Lyon and runs from there also over the tracks of existing regional lines into the countryside.
- 1999 is the line E with the new stations station Haussmann - Saint- Lazare ( near the Saint-Lazare station ) and train Magenta ( between Gare du Nord and Gare de l' Est) in operation. There, the line runs eastward through existing regional tracks. In the future, the line will be continued from Saint- Lazare to the west. Which current suburban lines of Gare Saint -Lazare, the line E will take in the future in the West, is still unclear. At La Défense station, there will be inputs for an RER, however, already. Due empty coffers of the continued construction of the line E has not yet been taken in the West attack.
Outside Paris share the RER and SNCF usually the tracks with the rest of regional, long-distance and freight transport in the Ile- de -France. The RATP operates large parts of the line A ( with the exception of the branches to Poissy and Cergy- le-Haut ) and the southern part of the line B. On both tracks, the tracks are reserved exclusively to the RER trains, even if parts of the routes originally from SNCF or their predecessors were operated.
The line network
RER and Métro
Also interesting is the ratio of the RER A and the Métro. The course of the A tunnel was originally elected to the Métro 1 between stations Charles de Gaulle - Étoile to relieve and nation. But since drove the new RER than the Métro much faster and further, they soon attracted so many passengers that she was overloaded. Therefore, the line could not be passed through the tunnel in the A D -South, although D- North shares a tunnel with the B. Now to relieve the RER A, the Métro 1 was extended parallel to the RER to Pont de Neuilly to La Défense, but again attracted new passengers by the additional stations on this piece. The last move in the matter was the opening of the quick -Métro Line 14, which runs parallel to the most loaded piece of the RER A (and the Métro 1) on a partial section. The line 14 is in this section only a few stops, so she goes there S-Bahn rapidly. After the opening, led the line 14 to the relief of the RER A. By further increasing ridership in the central portion of the line A short-term passenger movement was quickly offset. Besides the city - route the race goes to the west of the city further: an extension of the Métro 1 to Nanterre, still parallel to the RER A, is considered.
The way tickets are valid for the entire network of the metro with her one- zone fare. Most of the branches are included in the suburbs outside of the actual city limits of Paris. In contrast, applies to the RER a distance tariff, that is, the way tickets are not valid for trips across the city boundaries to or from a station in the suburbs. Also on the long southern Außenast line 8 a distance tariff was introduced.
Use of the RER in Paris
As an express line network, the RER is only restricted for transport within Paris suitable, since the RER only a few, widely separated stations in considerable depth ( below Métro - level ) features correspondingly long access routes. The network of the metro is much denser and has shorter distances between stops on. The RER is therefore used mainly by supply and Wegpendlern from / to the outer suburbs and less for transportation in the city itself.
This is especially true for the lines D and E, which have very few stations within Paris, while the line B creates a fast north -south middle distance between stops and operated stations that are not accessible by the Métro. The line C creates on the southern bank of the Seine and on the western outskirts cross-links, which complement the metro network.
Where Metro and RER connect to the suburbs to create ( for example, to La Défense ), the ride on the RER, however, is usually faster and therefore more practical. However, all Métro stations with a ticket t or a time card for zones 1 and 2 are accessible even if they are actually in zone 3. Therefore, the ride on the Métro on these routes can be cheaper than the RER.
Due to the lower importance within Paris and the rather complicated scheduling for the RER of foreign visitors to the city is little used, except for the lines to Versailles Palace, Disneyland Resort Paris or the Paris airports, which are all only with RER or bus, but not are accessible by Métro.
Airport connections
The Paris -Charles de Gaulle Airport is directly accessible by the RER line B, which is making a stop at all three terminals including the TGV train station.
Paris-Orly airport is opened for one of the RER line C, where the stop Pont de Rungis - Aéroport d' Orly still runs a shuttle bus to the airport. On the other hand offers the RER line B is a possibility of connection to the Antony station, of the runs from the Orlyval to the airport.