RER E is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris and its suburbs. The line travels between western and eastern suburbs, with all trains serving the stations in central Paris, before branching out towards the ends of the line.
The line runs from the western terminus (E1) to the eastern termini (E2) and (E4). It is operated by SNCF. It is the most interconnected line in the Île-de-France region, with connections to all 4 other RER lines, 10 out of the 14 Metro lines (as well as 3 of the future lines of the Grand Paris Express), 6 lines of the Transilien commuter rail service, 4 Tramway lines, and hundreds of bus routes. Six of the top ten busiest train stations in France are accessible via RER E, including three of Paris' mainline stations: Gare du Nord, Gare de l'Est and Gare Saint-Lazare.
Originally referred to as the Est Ouest Liaison Express or EOLE (English: East West Express Link), RER E is the newest RER line in the system, opening in 1999. An extension to Tournan opened in 2003. The first phase of a western extension opened on 6 May 2024, extending the line to , with a further extension to under construction and planned to open in March 2027. It served over 400,000 passengers a day as of March 2025, with expectations of 600,000 daily passengers once the extension has been completed.
History
RER E opened on 14 July 1999 between Haussmann–Saint-Lazare and Chelles–Gournay. The construction included a tunnel between Haussmann–St-Lazare and (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 – Le Plessis-Trévise on 30 August 1999. This branch was extended to Tournan on 14 December 2003.
On 13 December 2015, a new Rosa Parks station opened, located in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, between the stations Magenta and Pantin.
On 6 May 2024, the first phase of a western extension opened, with three new stations: , , and . The extension was initially served by a limited shuttle service between Nanterre and Magenta that operated only outside peak hours. Full service with through-running trains started on 15 December 2024.
List of RER E stations Branch Station Zone Served municipalities Major connections 3 Nanterre 3 Puteaux 1 Paris 1 Paris 1 Paris 1 Paris 2 Pantin 3 Noisy-le-Sec 3 Bondy 4 Le Raincy, Villemomble 4 Gagny 4 Gagny 4 ChellesGournay-sur-Marne 3 Rosny-sous-Bois 3 Rosny-sous-Bois 3 Fontenay-sous-Bois 3 Nogent-sur-MarneLe Perreux-sur-Marne 3 Champigny-sur-Marne 4 Villiers-sur-MarneLe Plessis-Trévise 4 Noisy-le-Grand 5 ÉmerainvillePontault-Combault 5 Roissy-en-Brie 5 Ozoir-la-Ferrière 5 Gretz-Armainvilliers 5 Tournan-en-Brie
Map
Operation Names of services Like all the other RER lines, each train has a mission code referring to the route it takes. The first letter designates the destination, the second indicates whether the train will call at every station or not. T corresponds to ; V corresponds to , C corresponds to , H corresponds to ; N corresponds to Magenta, M corresponds to .
Regular names of services of trains departing from Paris are, among others, TAVA (stops at Magenta, Rosa Parks, Pantin, 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).
Rolling stock
Current fleet TrainsetClassImageTypeTop speedCarriagesNumberRoutes operatedBuiltmphkm/hMI 2NZ 22500EMU86140553 all branches of RER E Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Chelles - Gournay Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Villiers-sur-Marne - Le Plessis-Trévise Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Tournan1999Bombardier FrancilienZ 5000086140864(equipment in common operation with line P)
all branches of RER E Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Chelles - Gournay Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Villiers-sur-Marne - Le Plessis-Trévise Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Tournan2009-2022RER NGZ 5800086140614only one branch of RER E Haussmann–Saint-Lazare ↔ Chelles - Gournay2018-
Future Western extension to Mantes-La-Jolie
RER E is currently being extended to the west of Paris, with a first phase connecting Haussmann–Saint-Lazare via La Défense to Nanterre, and second phase taking over the branch of RER A to Sartrouville and Poissy followed by a section of tracks currently carrying Transilien J to reach Mantes-la-Jolie. The first phase was expected to open by the end of 2022, with the second phase going into service in 2024. After delays, the first phase opened on 6 May 2024. As of 2022, the second phase was not expected to open before the end of 2026. In November 2024, further delays due to difficulty with implementing the new signalling system were announced, with the second phase now expected to open in early 2027 with less frequent service, and full service commencing at the end of 2029.
As part of the first phase of the extension, an tunnel was dug between Haussmann–St-Lazare and La Défense. An intermediate station at Porte Maillot offers a transfer to Métro line 1, RER C, and tramway line T3b. The extension is expected to reduce the load on the central sections of RER B and RER D (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 in the city center.
Villiers–Champigny–Bry infill station A new station on the RER E will open in 2030, between the and stations on the Tournan branch to connect with the southern section of Paris Métro Line 15 of the Grand Paris Express.
It will be located north of Chemin des Boutareines, near the bridge over which the future Altival exclusive right-of-way bus will cross the RER E tracks. The Grand Paris Express station platforms will be at a depth of -21 m.
Located south of Bry-sur-Marne and the A4 autoroute in Villiers-sur-Marne, the station will serve the equestrian center, the Maisons Rouges business park, the Armoiries and Boutareines ZACs. Users will benefit from numerous shops and services. Infrastructure studies are underway for a period of 13–14 months with funding. These studies will define the nature of the work and the schedule to be respected. The station's location is a complicated issue, as there are currently only two tracks (between Les Boullereaux and Villiers - Le Plessis-Trévise) at this point, where many trains cross each other. A public inquiry phase will follow in 2014.
Initial studies carried out by Réseau ferré de France (RFF) in conjunction with Société du Grand Paris (SGP) show that the additional stops for all trains on the line, as well as any Transilien Line P services at the station, would require a four-track upgrade between Villiers-Champigny-Bry and Villiers-sur-Marne, at an estimated cost of at 2010 economic conditions, excluding the cost of constructing the passenger building. Rolling stock requirements have not yet been assessed.
The Syndicat des transports d'Île-de-France (STIF, now Île-de-France Mobilités) requested that the current studies include conditions for stopping the two Line P services (Coulommiers and Provins services.)
However, if the Villiers to Roissy-en-Brie services were to be extended, only a third track would be required between the new Villiers - Champigny - Bry station and Villiers-sur-Marne, extending to Émerainville. The work cost would then be halved to , excluding the cost of constructing the passenger building, at 2010 economic conditions.
The station was the subject of a consultation in June 2016, and its cost is estimated at .
Construction of the station was declared to be in the public interest on 18 December 2018, following a public inquiry from 4 June to 6 July 2018.
Eastern extension of the Tournan branch to Val Bréon History At the end of the 2000s, the Region's work on the master plan for the Île-de-France region (SDRIF) opened up the prospect of the next fifteen years. One project caught the attention of elected officials: the eastern extension of the line's Tournan branch from Tournan station to the Val Bréon logistics center at Châtres. In 2007, several possible locations for the future station were studied, evaluated, and compared. Some of the proposals studied were rejected. In some cases, personal interests got in the way and interfered with the general interest approach, which did not make the analysis easy but did not prevent it.
In 2008, for example, there were two opposing options: either doubling the track from Tournan to Marles-en-Brie, which would become the new RER E terminus after redevelopment or creating a terminus in the heart of the business park using existing freight tracks, the option advocated by the SNCF. At the time, nothing had been decided by the Communauté de communes du Val Bréon. In July 2009, the newspaper Le Pays briard confirmed that the extension would soon be completed.
On May 19, 2010, SNCF CEO Guillaume Pepy and local elected representatives visited the Val Bréon site, where the new eastern terminus is to be built, the possibility of extending the line to Marles-en-Brie having been ruled out. Pepy stated about the project, "it's a fine, interesting project, which makes sense from a rail point of view, with improved quality of service at its heart," which therefore deserves "to be considered. It was also part of a broad agreement between the regional council, RFF, SNCF, and STIF (now Île-de-France Mobilités)."
Project overview The project involves extending the RER E line from Tournan station to Val Bréon, one of the largest logistics centers in the Île-de-France. This business park boasts vast warehouses that house brands such as Conforama, IKEA, and Castorama. It is home to over 1,000 jobs. The sector plan calls into question the relevance of this extension. This extension is now expected to be completed in 2030.
This extension would make it possible to create a service in line with the development of this area, which is only accessible by car and where the number of employees could increase, as well as resolving the RER line's operating difficulties by creating a new site for parking trains and relieving the and Tournan stations of cars arriving from the east of the département: "According to the mayor of Tournan-en-Brie: "The outskirts of the town are clogged: cars arrive in the morning and leave again in the evening, a daily problem for locals. The current terminus attracts passengers from a radius of around , taking advantage of the fact that RER E runs to the center of Paris. Once the line has been extended to the west of Paris, this number is set to increase. The extension would terminate at the Val Bréon station, which Vincent Éblé, then president of the Departmental Council of Seine-et-Marne, described as an "experimental station for the 21st century", i.e. of a new type, not only architecturally but also environmentally. It would be multimodal, environmentally friendly, accessible by bike and bus, and innovative in its functions, not just as a transport hub. It will also offer its passengers various services, including childcare and concierge. There will also be a post office, library, and shops.