In the flood of repeated delays on the RER B, there is some good news.
In this new school year, SNCF Réseau announced “significant progress in the transformation of the Ile-de-France network” and of the RER B, thanks to the end of certain works this summer.
More heat resistant material
At Le Bourget, “turnaround routes” have just been inaugurated.
"A test campaign was carried out at the end of the project to test the new routes and check that all the installations were working properly", specifies the SNCF, which adds that "this equipment was financed by the CDG Express project, which provides for envelope of €537 million devoted to improving daily transport”.
This project makes it possible to isolate ends of the line and thus further confine an incident to a part of the RER B rather than its entirety.
For example, if there is a problem at Gare du Nord, trains can still run north and turn around at Le Bourget.
Another improvement: the replacement of 14 km of catenaries between Aulnay and Le Bourget in Seine-Saint-Denis: “It is a material which will be more resistant to heat for example”, specifies the SNCF again.
Seven kilometers of track have also been changed between La Plaine Stade de France and Aulnay-sous-Bois.
Recurring incidents since the start of the school year
Because for users, the return to school is particularly complicated on the RER B. This Wednesday again, a breakdown at Gare du Nord forced the RER B and D to only run on one track at Gare du Nord.
This affects both lines.
A problem that has been going on for two days.
SNCF must carry out the work overnight from Wednesday to Thursday.
But incidents have already occurred last week at Gare du Nord.
“These are different incidents each time, defends SNCF network.
But as attendance has greatly increased, the consequences are heavier.
This is also why we must continue to regenerate the facilities”.
Are we going to stay 4 days with only one lane at Gare du Nord?
Is that normal?
You rot us evenings and weekends with your work forever the same problems and breakdowns!
It's surreal!
Every day evenings and mornings we suffer this #RERB shit line!!
@CBaune doesn't care
— Rey (@ReyAtParis) September 14, 2022
"For seven years, we have just begun to slow down the aging of catenaries and to rejuvenate the tracks", recognizes SNCF Réseau.
The average age of facilities remains very high.
Thirty years for switches and catenaries.
In Germany, it is between 15 and 17 years old.
And of course, the older the materials, the more prone they are to recurring failures.
Last July, the regularity of the RER B only reached 73.8% for the SNCF part, north of the Gare du Nord.
Nearly a million passengers use the line daily.