Number built 127 units + 1 trailer | Number preserved 1 unit (2010) | |
 | ||
In service 29 June 1967 – 16 April 2016 Manufacturer Brissonneau et Lotz
ANF
CIMT Refurbishment 1985–1992
2005–2008 (partial rebuild) Capacity 292 seats per unit
(200 fixed and 92 tip-up) | ||
MS 61 (MS meaning Matériel Suburbain in French) was a series of single-decker electric multiple units that operated on the RATP-owned sections of the RER A, between Saint Germain-en-Laye and Boissy-Saint-Léger or Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy.
Contents
- Construction
- Numbering and formation
- Design and features
- Destination and passenger information
- Liveries
- Service history
- Power and Signalling
- Refurbishment
- Withdrawal
- References
MS 61 trains first entered service on 29 June 1967, and although this was the first type of fleet to be produced directly for the RER project, it is currently the second-oldest in the network at present, after the Class Z 5300 (which entered service in 1965, and currently operates on a section of the RER D between Juvisy and Melun).
The MI 09 series replaced the MS 61 series between 5 December 2011 and 16 April 2016.
Construction
The MS 61 series was built before the RER came into existence on 8 December 1977: a total of 127 units and one spare trailer were built by Brissonneau et Lotz, ANF and CIMT for the RATP from 1963.
The manufacturers constructed a total of six types for the MS 61 series: A, B, C, D, E and Ex. Types A and B had three-panelled windows for the front, while the remainder were similar to the MF 67 for the Paris Métro.
Numbering and formation
In passenger service, the MS 61 series usually runs in two or three pairs (6 or 9 cars), depending on the timetable. It is possible for them to run as a single pair, although it rarely does in passenger service.
Design and features
MS 61 trailers formerly had a first class section: Syndicat des Transports Parisiens (STP, now STIF) abolished first class travel on 1 September 1999, and the bulkheads that divided the first and second class sections were removed in the second refurbishment.
Destination and passenger information
The MS 61 series used three types of dot-matrix displays for the destination panel. When delivered, the MS 61 used four 5×7 panels surrounded by two lights, and was capable to displaying a four-digit service number (e.g. 2017) in amber.
Following the first refurbishment of the 1980s, the destination panel changed to six 5×7 panels, which was capable of displaying the mission code in amber, and the service number in red, without spaces (e.g. NELY01, ZEUS02, etc.).
Following the second refurbishment of the 2000s, the destination panel changed to a single grid of 100×16 pixels, which was capable of alternating between the destination and the mission code and service number. This type of destination panel is also in use on the MI 79 and MI 09 series.
Liveries
RATP has used three liveries for the MS 61 series:
Service history
The first MS 61 trains (type A units) entered service on the Ligne de Sceaux (now the southern part of RER B) from 29 June 1967. On 14 December 1969, type B units replaced trains pulled by SNCF class 141TB steam locomotives on the Ligne de Vincennes (now part of RER A), following the completion of electrification work and the relocation of the western terminus from Gare de la Bastille to Nation.
Type C units entered service when the western end of the RER A between La Défense and Charles de Gaulle – Étoile opened on 19 January 1970, and reached Auber on 23 November 1971: type D units then reinforced the former when that line extended to Saint-Germain-en-Laye on 1 October 1972, displacing the SNCF Class Z 1400 trains. From 8 December 1977, the connection of RER A and B at Châtelet - Les Halles, and the extension of RER A to Noisy-le-Grand – Mont d'Est allowed all MS 61 units, including the Type E and Ex units, to move between and operate on the two lines.
MS 61 trains reached Torcy (on RER A) on 19 December 1980 and Gare de Nord (RER B) on 10 December 1981, but the next northern RER B extensions to Charles de Gaulle Airport and Mitry - Claye (completed 7 June 1983) would use SNCF’s 25 kV AC electrification, instead of RATP’s 1.5 kV DC system that the MS 61 could only handle. Consequently, the MI 79 and MI 84 units, both of which were designed to work with the two electrification systems, replaced the MS 61 units on RER B by 28 February 1983, but the track connections north of Châtelet - Les Halles allows empty MS 61 trains to continue accessing the southern part of RER B.
Since 1 April 1992, MS 61 trains have been operating between Saint Germain-en-Laye and Boissy-Saint-Léger or Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy.
Power and Signalling
The MS 61 trains are single-voltage units that can only operate on RATP’s 1.5 kV DC network: they cannot serve the Cergy-le-Haut and Poissy branches because they use SNCF’s 25 kV / 50 Hz AC electrification.
They are compatible with the SACEM signalling system (Système d'aide à la conduite, à l'exploitation et à la maintenance), which operates on the core section of RER A.
Refurbishment
There were two refurbishment programmes for the MS 61 trains: the first one took place between 1985 and 1992, and the other (with 105 units) between 2005 and 2008. In the second refurbishment, the front ends were rebuilt.
Withdrawal
The MI 09 double-decker trains, which entered service on 5 December 2011, are currently replacing all MS 61 and MI 84 trains on RER A, as part of a works programme to increase passenger capacity and replace life-expired infrastructure. Once all MS 61 and MI 84 trains are withdrawn from service, all trains on the RER A will be double-decker (MI 2N “Altéo” and MI 09).
In 2014, RATP appointed Veolia Environment to dismantle and recycle the MS 61 units that were part of the second refurbishment programme, plus two additional cars. Veolia is currently dismantling these trains at a specialised facility at Torvilliers, because the trains contain hazardous materials such as asbestos.
Since 2010, RATP has selected one unit for preservation at Villeneuve-Saint-Georges: the selected unit was not part of the second refurbishment programme, and retains the original front ends and the “Île-de-France” livery.