New service: real-time measurement of crowding on trains

A Regio 2N on the platform at Melun station on the R- © Christophe RECOURA - Île-de-France Mobilités line

For the first time in France, a real-time passenger information system on passenger traffic has been deployed on all lines H, J, K, L, N, and R, part of line P and the RER E. This system, 100% financed by Île-de-France Mobilités , offers, from the information screens on the platforms, indications of the number of trains approaching. The objective? Deploy the system on all metered trains (i.e. half of the current fleet) and make the network more comfortable and regular.

Which lines are affected by the new real-time passenger information system?

  • Lines H, J, L and N have been gradually equipped since the beginning of 2023.
  • Lines K and R,part of line P and RER E will be equipped by June 2023.  

Real-time passenger information has already been available since 2021 on the transilien.com website and the Tilien chatbot in the "Route Search" and "Next Departures" sections on lines H, L, J, K, N, P, R and partly on the RER E (lines equipped with the passenger counting system). This innovative initiative was born in 2021 in the particular context of the Covid-19 epidemic, under the name Hector.

Example of a passenger information screen on the platforms.
Example of a passenger information screen on the platforms.

Real-time passenger information system: how does it work?

The real-time passenger information system is deployed on all lines equipped with infrared counting sensors. Located above the doors, these sensors make it possible to count the number of passengers entering and getting off the cars at each station. By comparing these figures to the train's capacity, the system offers a calculation of the occupancy level of the train updated after each station stop.

Three colours for three levels of traffic

The information screens on the platforms offer the representation of a train whose carriages are marked in green, orange or red depending on the size of the crowd. The objective: to guide passengers to the free spaces inside the trains.

  • Green : Low Crowds - Seating Available
  • Orange : Average Crowding - Few Seats Available
  • Red : High Crowding - Standing
The colour codes for passenger information on the number of passengers on board the trains.
The colour codes for passenger information on the number of passengers on board the trains.

New real-time traffic information system: what are the advantages for passengers?

Controlling the crowding and homogeneous placement of passengers through the different carriages of the same train and between the trains of the same line is a way of considerably improving the comfort of all and the regularity of a line:

  • Viewing the loaded cars allows users to position themselves on the platform at the level of the least densely occupied cars and therefore to travel more comfortably by avoiding the "traffic jams" effects,
  • A homogeneous occupancy of the carriages makes it possible to improve the boarding and alighting of trains , which optimizes parking times at the station,
  • During rush hour, better occupancy of the train makes it possible to gain in safety by avoiding jostling and promiscuity,
  • During off-peak hours, people with a feeling of insecurity can go to cars in which there are already people so as not to be alone.

With the Rugby World Cup and the Paris 2024 Olympic Games just a few months away, this control of attendance will also be used to better manage the flow of spectators, to anticipate the volume of passengers and the positioning of agents.