In February 20224, Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) published its new strategy for the development of the transport system in the Île-de-France region to meet the transport demands of the coming period and to cope with the region’s future traffic. The strategy comprises 14 main themes that address each segment of what the region’s transport system is all about, with a focus on public transport, especially rail, which is essential to take on the volume of road traffic and without environmental implications. Ongoing and new projects include the expansion of the rail network, but also the introduction of new or upgraded rolling stock to replace the old fleet and provide faster and more modern services that increase attractiveness and give passengers what they need when considering their mode of travel. Reducing emissions is a key policy for Paris and its metropolitan area, and increasing the share of renewable energy use, as well as reducing road transport, encouraging public transport and active mobility are important criteria for transforming Ile-de-France’s transport system.
Ile-de-France has a population of 12.4 million, representing almost 20% of France’s population, is visited by 51 million tourists and contributes 30% of national GDP, making it the largest employment region in Europe.
At the heart of the region is Paris, which, through its dynamism, has a significant contribution to make to its economy and to the country as a whole, and it is therefore clear that the transport system plays a key role in the economy, society and the environment, with the latter coming to the fore when adopting new policies and implementing projects that must significantly reduce emissions in order for the French capital to be emission-free by 2050, as national policy is also aiming for.
According to the Paris climate plan, from 22.7 million tonnes of CO2 in 2018, the aim is to achieve climate neutrality by 2050, with plans for 2030 showing a 50% decrease in GHG emissions and a 40% reduction in the territory carbon footprint. By 2050, Paris sees itself as a totally changed city, running on 100% renewable energy, with 80% reduction in territory carbon footprint, resulting in a zero emission city.
In the authorities’ plans, the city will reduce its energy consumption from fossil fuels and transition to their disposal, replacing them with renewable energy sources by exploiting large deposits in the Paris region, thus reducing GHG emissions.
The attractiveness of Paris and its metropolitan area means a high volume of transport, a sector that is responsible for 17% of energy consumption and 24% of greenhouse gas emissions and is the largest source of pollution. In order to tackle this negative impact on the quality of life and the environment, the authorities want to change the way people live and, by extension, their mobility in the metropolitan area.
A positive result in terms of drastically reducing emissions and energy consumption is the focus on public transport and shifting road traffic to these forms of transport, a policy encouraged by ongoing and future projects on the expansion and development of urban transport networks, with a particular focus on rail and the introduction of environmentally friendly vehicles, as well as the expansion of green areas, the introduction of traffic avoidance policies in certain areas and their transformation into pedestrian areas and shared mobility policies.
The Paris Climate Action Plan, published in 2020, envisages a network of cycle paths of more than 1000 km, the introduction of the “Paris Breathes” programme for every Sunday by 2024, the creation of completely emission-free public transport, the expansion of low-emission zones in the Greater Paris metropolitan area, and the formation of a logistics network in the city centre by 2030.
In the Île-de-France region, the transport system is complex and accounts for 43 million journeys per day, of which 9.4 million are made on public transport. The public transport network, ranked second in the world in terms of density, and is made up of 16 train, 16 metro and 10 tram lines, as well as over 1500 bus routes. Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) is responsible for organising and financing transport in the Île-de-France region around Paris, and the public transport system is operated by companies such as RATP, SNCF, Transdev, Keolis, Savac-Lacroix and others on the basis of contracts.
In 2024, Île-de-France Mobilités’ operating revenues are expected to reach EUR 12.3 billion and actual operating expenditures to reach EUR 11.5 billion of which operating costs will reach EUR 10.1 billion as part of contracts with SCNF (contract of over EUR 3.8 billion), RATP (over EUR 5.1 billion), CT3/DSP (EUR 1.Other operating expenditures for this year amount to EUR 1.38 billion and include school transport costs (EUR 193 million), running charges and financial fees (EUR 459 million), social tariffication (EUR 7.9 million) and other costs of EUR 447 million including Olympic Game, subsidiary, ticketing, etc.
Also for 2024, Île-de-France Mobilités estimates that gross savings will be EUR 745 million.
The institution’s investments for this year amount to EUR 3.8 billion of which the largest amount of EUR 1.67 billion is the investment in rolling stock, followed by quality of service (EUR 450 million), surface rolling stock (EUR 430 million). EUR 223 million will be allocated to infrastructure, EUR 185 million to the SNCF multiproject and EUR 156 million to the SNCF depot.
As part of the rolling stock renewal programme, in March RATP ordered 103 five-car MF19 metro trains worth EUR 800 million. The new trains are fully financed by Île-de-France Mobilités and will enter operation from 2027 on lines 13, 12 and 8 and eventually on eight lines of the Paris metro network (lines 3, 3bis, 7, 7bis, 8, 10, 12 and 13). The order is part of a framework agreement signed in December 2019 for the delivery of more than 410 MF19 metro trains, with a firm order for 44 trains that from 2025 will gradually be put into operation on lines 10, 7bis and 3bis. With this order, the metro network will have 147 MF19 trainsets. The trains are energy efficient, saving 20% of consumption and 98% recyclable.
In addition, in early 2023, the last of 73 Regio 2N trains for N Line was delivered. In total, 145 trains ordered by Île-de-France Mobilités operate the RER R line (72 trainsets) and the RER D line (61 trainsets) with plans to deliver 11 more by this year, and 73 trains are running on the N Line.
The trains are part of Europe’s largest fleet modernisation programme started by Île-de-France Mobilités in 2016. It has an investment value of EUR 10 billion and aims to modernise and renew 700 trains.
These trains will have a driver’s cab and can be adapted to the technological development of the lines, and can be converted into automated vehicles if the infrastructure requires it.
It should be noted that for the period 2024-2033, Île-de-France Mobilités will invest over EUR 38 billion in the Île-de-France public transport network and intends to raise EUR 24 billion of debt to finance the investment plan, of which 70-80% will be in the form of green bonds.
New vision
In order to address transport issues, Île-de-France Mobilités is focusing its projects and funding on mobility that supports transport demand, based on a well-designed and implemented strategy.
In February 2024, Île-de-France Mobilités published a new vision for 2030 following the previous plan approved in 2014 for the period 2010-2020 and updated for 2017-2020. After reviewing the Ile-de-France Urban Travel Plan (PDUIF) in 2021, Île-de-France Mobilités decided to revise it but with a vision for 2030.
The strategy is structured around 14 pillars that “attack” mobility from the perspective of sustainability and the need for a growing demand that needs a rapid and planned approach to attract more people to public transport services.
The mobility strategy aims to reduce GHG emissions by 26%, lower the concentration of pollutants below regulated limits, improve road traffic safety through a 50% reduction in accidents and fatalities (by 2025-2029), and these goals can be achieved by transforming and changing the way people travel. This involves a 15% decrease in journeys made by private car and motorised two-wheeled vehicles, re-launching a new dynamism in the use of public transport, and tripling the number of journeys made by bicycle.
The first pillar of the strategy is to increase the use of public transport by making it more attractive, which will ultimately result in reduced emissions and improved quality of life and environment. Pillar three also includes increasing the accessibility of public transport.
Axis two aims to encourage residents to choose to walk by providing them with specially designated spaces and, also in terms of active mobility, axis four is about encouraging cycling by extending the existing infrastructure and providing the necessary services that facilitate this mobility, including increasing access to cycling with the aim of acquiring the necessary vehicles.
The fifth pillar aims to increase the share and facilitate the carpooling system, especially in areas where public transport is not so developed, and dedicated spaces and special infrastructure will be created for this solution, with financial advantages for users and regulation of the quality of services offered by providers.
Pillar six is about the transition from one mode of transport to another, on the same route, encouraging collective mobility, through intermodality and multimodality that ensures a quick and easy connection between the different modes of transport available in the region, from car to bicycle, tram, metro, bus.
Collective mobility is also included in axis 14, which aims to make it more practical and accessible by encouraging citizens to adopt sustainable mobility, especially when they need to travel to work or school.
Multimodality is also covered by pillar seven, which considers road transport by optimising the network and traffic safety, while pillar eight addresses sharing the road between transport modes, i.e. cycling, walking and public and individual transport, by establishing special lanes dedicated to transport modes. Pillar nine considers the adaptation of vehicle parking policy.
Another chapter of the 2030 transport strategy aims at integrating mobility policies, by adapting collective mobility plans and freight transport, the latter being part of axis ten which deals with supporting sustainable territorial logistics by encouraging freight transport by rail and waterways, as well as optimising road infrastructure and implementing policies related to the transition of vehicles to clean energy.
Another important chapter of the mobility plan published by Île-de-France Mobilités concerns vehicle decarbonisation where axis 11 directly targets the decarbonisation of the regional fleet by installing electric vehicle charging points and increasing the share of the fleet using biofuels, hydrogen and other sustainable solutions. This includes buses and it is estimated that between 2025 and 2028, 3500 new clean coaches and buses will be introduced.
Vulnerable residents are not left behind either as axis 12 considers the coordination of a supportive mobility services policy which will be done by increasing accessibility to transport services in particular by implementing actions and activities at departmental level.
Axis 13 addresses mobility for tourists with the aim of facilitating their access to the region and its attractions by improving the passenger experience and encouraging the use of public transport.
Transport in Île-de-France. Plans for 2024
To increase the attractiveness of public transport, targets have already been set for 2024. To this end, Line 4 operates fully automated trains that have been in service since 2022, and this year 52 driverless trains are to run between Bagneux and Porte de Clignancourt. Line 4 becomes the third automated line of the Île-de-France metro system (after Line 1 and Line 14), increasing capacity, safety and security, and reducing train succession intervals. Île-de-France Mobilités has invested EUR 470 million in this project.
Another project to be completed, partly this year, is the extension of the RER E line (Est-Ouest Liaison Express – EOLE project) westwards to Nanterre-La Folie station (in Hauts-de-Seine) with three new stations, Porte Maillot, La Défense and Nanterre-La Folie, and from there the line will be extended further to Mantes-la-Jolie by 2026. The 8 km EOLE tunnel was completed in the summer of this year and connects the ausmann-Saint Lazare and Nanterre stations and has entered the testing phase to check each component and existing systems for safe operation. The line will allow trains to run at 120 km/h and will have a capacity of 650,000 passengers per day.
RER E will be the most connected line in Île-de-France between Tournan/Chelles to the east (Seine-et-Marne) and Mantes-la-Jolie to the west, crossing Paris and La Défense (Hauts-de-Seine). The project includes the modernisation or construction of 55 km of tracks, including the digging of 8 km of tunnels, and the modernisation and construction of 14 stations (with three new stations). Under this project, the RER NG (RER next generation train) is deployed and NExTEO train control and supervision system is delivered, allowing fatesr and more trains.
The EOLE project has an initial investment of EUR 3.8 billion and EUR 1.8 billion for new trains and involves eight partners including SNCF Réseau, Île-de-France Mobilités, Société du Grand Paris and City of Paris.
In April 2024, the M11 metro line extension of 6 km and six stations between Mairie des Lilas (current terminus) and Rosny-Bois-Perrier is expected to be inaugurated, facilitating travel to the east of Paris. The project has a cost of EUR 1.3 billion of which almost EUR 1.1 billion is the infrastructure investment and EUR 214 million for the adaptation of the existing line and stations, and the purchase of rolling stock is EUR 151 million. The project will mean replacing rolling stock and increase train frequency to every 1:45 minutes and capacity by five carriages per train, compared to four at present, with an estimated 85,000 passengers per day on this extension.
The extension of the T3b tram line from Porte d’Asnières to Porte Dauphine with a length of 3.2 km and 7 new stops will also be put into service soon. The project required an investment of EUR 165 million plus EUR 28 million for the purchase of trams.
From June 2024, Paris will put into operation the southern extension of the M14 between Olympiades and Orly Airport with a length of 14 km underground and 7 new stations. The journey time will be around 16 minutes between the two stops and 23 minutes between Orly Airport and Gare de Lyon, compared to 42 minutes at present. This is a section of the future Grand Paris Express network and will allow trains to operate at 40 km/h, compared to 25 km/h currently on a conventional metro line. The investment for this project is EUR 2.14 billion and EUR 620 million for rolling stock with 8 carriages (compared to 6 at present). The introduction of these trains will increase the capacity of the line from 30,000 passengers to 40,000 passengers per hour.
Also in June, the M14 section to Saint-Denis Pleyel will be inaugurated, which, together with the M14, will carry 1 million passengers a day between Orly Airport and Saint-Denis Pleyel station.
Also this year, 170 new or upgraded trains and metros will be put into service. Of these, the RER NG (next generation) train was inaugurated by Île-de-France Mobilités, SNCF Voyageurs and Alstom in November 2023 and began operating on Line E, and will be put into service on RER D in autumn 2024. The train incorporates the NexTEO automation, control and supervision system which will increase the frequency of trains on these lines, increasing capacity. This train is much more spacious, more accessible and more efficient (it has a 25% lower energy consumption) and is equipped with the most modern passenger facilities. In April 2023, SNCF Voyageurs ordered 60 additional trains from Alstom for the RER D and RER E lines. The contract is worth EUR 1 billion and is part of a framework agreement signed in 2017 for 255 trains, with a firm order for 71 trainsets. This new order brings the RER NG train fleet to 131, financed by Île-de-France Mobilités.
As part of the rolling stock renewal programme, RER NG trains will run on three lines over the next few years and new metro trains will run on 16 lines.
Grand Paris Express
The authorities’ plans are to expand the public rail network to meet future mobility demands and significantly reduce emissions.
By 2030, the public transport network will be extended by a further 361.4 km including bus routes, of which more than 55 km for the RER lines, 73.6 km is the extension programme for the tram network, and around 200 km for the metro network and 68 new stations, represented by the ambitious Grand Paris Express project, a regional metro system that will consist of new lines 15, 16, 17 and 18, together with Line 14 extension. The network will be managed by six operating centres that will ensure traffic safety.
The entire project is estimated at over EUR 36 billion and includes provisions for risks and contingencies. Société des grands projets has allocated EUR 3.5 billion to secure extensions and modernise the transport system in the Paris region, and all funding for Grand Paris Express and financial contributions for other projects is pooled in its financial instrument.
In October 2023 on the Grand Paris Express metro network, 100 km had been excavated and there were 2 tunnelling machines in operation, 27 machines completing their excavation work.
Line 15 will have 75 km and 36 stations and will cross 45 municipalities and will be put into operation from the end of 2025, with the first section connecting Sèvres to Noisy and Champs, and from 2030 it will run from Pont de Sèvres to Saint-Denis – Pleyel and from Saint-Denis – Pleyel to Champigny Centre. Line 15 will be a central connection of the Grand Paris Express system and is estimated to have a flow of 1.5 million passengers per day. As of October 2023, 34.7 km had been excavated by 12 TBMs, with 34 km of double track completed.
Last year, Île-de-France Mobilités awarded ORA Consortium a contract to operate and maintain Line 15 South, which will become operational in 2025. The consortium consists of RATP Dev as majority shareholder, Alstom, and ComfortDelGro. The contract is for six years and can be extended for a further nine years and includes the operation of automated trains, stations and the control centre, as well as rolling stock maintenance, passenger relationship management and passenger information system. Line 15 South will have 33 km and 16 stations connecting Noisy-Champs and Pont-de-Sèvres, crossing 22 municipalities.
Line 16 will have 29 km and 10 stops between Saint-Denis Pleyel and Noisy – Champs and will have a common section with Line 17, a 6.4 km line connecting Saint-Denis Pleyel, La Courneuve Six-Routes and Le Bourget RER stations. From 2026 the section between Saint-Denis Pleyel and Clichy-Montfermeil will be put into service, and from there the section to Noisy – Champs will become operational in 2028.
Line 17 will be 26.5 km with 9 stops and will pass through 13 municipalities and departments of Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-d’Oise and Seine-et-Marne. It is divided into two sections, the first (South section) will be 6 km between Saint-Denis – Pleyel and Le Bourget (shared route with Line 16) and the North section of 20.6 km of which 5.5 km on the viaduct and will be to Mesnil-Amelot. In October 2023, 6 km were being excavated by three tunnelling machines, while 2.3 km of double track being completed.
In May 2023, Île-de-France Mobilités selected Keolis to operate the future automatic lines 16 and 17 and the Saint-Denis Pleyel station. The contract is worth EUR 300 million and started in July 2023 and is valid for a period of 7 years and includes an option for an extension of another three years. Under the contract, Keolis will start operating Line 16 between Saint-Denis Pleyel and Noisy-Champs from the end of 2026 and Line 27 between Saint-Denis Pleyel and Parc des Expositions from the end of 2028.
The operation of Saint-Denis Pleyel station, a transport hub located at the intersection of lines 14, 15, 16 and 17, and the RER D Line, is scheduled for June 2024 when the northern extension of Line 14 will be put into operation.
Line 18 will be 35 km long with more than 10 stops between Orly Airport and Versailles and will serve Paris-Saclay, one of the largest research and development centres in the world. As of October 2023, more than 12 km had been excavated, work carried out by a TBM.
The network, which will be like a railway ring around Paris and will connect all areas of Île-de-France, with will serve three airports (Charles de Gaulle, Orly, Le Bourget) and provide access to 130 universities and higher education institutions, 408 health centres, 656 cultural centres.
As the policy to reduce greenhouse gas emissions is deeply rooted in the authorities and all projects are designed and implemented in a carbon-neutral direction, it is estimated that the new metro system will reduce CO2 emissions by at least 14.2 million tonnes by 2050, two decades after commissioning.
The trains that will operate the new network are fully automated and on some lines they will run every 2-3 minutes, their frequency can be adapted according to special events that require a high volume of passengers on certain lines/routes. They will operate at optimum capacity reducing energy consumption, and their interior is modern, with LED lighting and an electric braking system that reduces energy consumption. They will be able to run at average speeds of around 65 km/h, up to a maximum of 110 km/h, compared to the current trains that run at around 27 km/h on the Paris metro network.
It is estimated that the new metro lines will have a passenger flow of around 3 million per day, with one train able to carry 1,000 passengers (on Line 15), 500 on Lines 16 and 17 and 350 passengers on Line 18.
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