Stations 22 Line length 52.3 km (32.5 mi) | Rolling stock Z 22500, Z 50000 | |
 | ||
Ridership 60,000,000 journeys per year Opened 1999
(last extension in 2003) Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ⁄2 in) | ||
The RER E (originally referred to as the EOLE, or Est Ouest Liaison Express) is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving Paris, France. The line runs from the western terminus Haussmann St-Lazare (E1) to the eastern terminuses Chelles-Gournay (E2) and Tournan (E4). It is operated by SNCF.
Contents
The line's construction leaves Gare Montparnasse as the only mainline terminus in Paris not directly connected to the RER system, the Montparnasse main line being connected to the RER at Versailles-Chantiers and the LGV Atlantique at Massy Palaiseau .
History
RER E opened on 12 July 1999 between Haussmann – St-Lazare and Chelles-Gournay. The construction included a 2 km tunnel between Haussmann – St-Lazare and Magenta (which serves Gare de l'Est and Gare du Nord).
The line was first extended with a new branch from Noisy le Sec to Villiers-sur-Marne on 30 August 1999. This branch was extended to Tournan on 14 December 2003.
On 13 December 2015, Rosa Parks station opened in the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
Extension
RER E is to be extended from Haussmann – St-Lazare to La Défense, from where it will take over the branch of RER A to Nanterre, Sartrouville and Poissy. It would then take over a section of SNCF tracks (currently carrying Transilien J) to reach Mantes-la-Jolie. Partial revenue service is expected to begin in 2018, full service in 2020.
An eight kilometre tunnel will be dug between Haussmann – St-Lazare and La Défense. An intermediate station at Porte Maillot will offer a transfer to RER C. The extension is expected to reduce the load on central sections of RER B (between Gare du Nord and Châtelet) and RER A (between La Défense and Auber) by 10-15%. Additionally, transfers will be shifted away from current transfer hub Châtelet.
Names of services
Like all the other RER lines, each train is named after the route it takes. The first letter designates the destination, the second indicates whether the train will call at every station or not.
Regular names of services of trains departing from Paris are, among others, TAVA (stops at Magenta, Noisy-le-Sec, Val de Fontenay, and all stations from Villiers-sur-Marne to Tournan), VOHE (stops at every station, all the way to Villiers-sur-Marne), COHI (stops at every station all the way to Chelles — Gournay).