100% 2-deck trains on the RER A for more capacity and comfort for passengers
These trains increase the capacity of the line by 30% and thus offer a better quality of service to passengers. Equipped with wider doors that facilitate passenger exchanges between the platform and the train, this new equipment contributes to the regularity of the line by controlling parking times in the station.
The renewal of the RER A trains was made necessary by a 20% increase in traffic on the line, the busiest in Europe with 1.2 million passengers per day, in 10 years. Between 2011 and 2017, 130 new MI09 trainsets were gradually deployed as part of a €2 billion contract, financed to the tune of €1.35 billion by RATP and €650 million by Île-de-France Mobilités.
Île-de-France Mobilités has also financed 100% of the acquisition of 10 additional trains to increase the number of MI09s to 140 on RER line A. These MI09 double-deck trains are in addition to the 43 other MI2N double-deck trains already on the line, which had already demonstrated the interest of equipping this line with only these more capable trains.
The advantages of two-tier hardware
These double-deck trains offer passengers improved transport conditions, with more spacious and more efficient equipment, equipped with:
- wider doors that make passenger exchanges between the platform and the train more fluid, which makes it possible to control station parking times
- dynamic line maps and an audible and visual information system for station announcements
- refrigerated ventilation and more efficient brightness
- better capacity for people with reduced mobility
- an on-board video protection system dedicated to strengthening security
A modernisation plan for the RER A already underway
In addition to the renewal of all RER A trains, RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités have launched a vast plan to modernise the line and are investing heavily to improve the regularity, capacity and reliability of the infrastructure through a master plan that includes:
- Track and ballast renewal (RGB): a total of 24 km of track and ballast will be replaced by 2021 between Nanterre-Université and Vincennes. This project will guarantee the reliability and optimal availability of the line's infrastructure and will therefore contribute to improving the quality of service on the line.
- The implementation of automatic control on the central section, which increases the quality of service on the line by improving its regularity and robustness. The speed of the trains is thus optimised and a constant interval is maintained between all trains. This translates into an increase in the commercial speed of the trains by 5 km/h in the central section: the journey time between Vincennes and La Défense is reduced by 2 minutes.
- Better information for passengers with the installation of new screens that give the "traffic weather" for the entire RATP network.