CDG Express

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CDG Express
Overview
OwnerSNCF and Paris Aéroport
LocaleÎle-de-France
Termini
Stations2
Websitecdgexpress.com
Service
Typeairport rail link
Operator(s)Hello Paris (Keolis and RATP Group)
Rolling stockAlstom Coradia Liner
History
Commenced2018
Planned opening28 March 2027
Technical
Line length32 km (20 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
ElectrificationOverhead catenary
Route map

CDG Express is a railway line currently under construction. It will connect Gare de l'Est in Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport, aiming to alleviate congestion on the existing RER B line. Originally planned for 2006, the opening was pushed back several times, most recently to 28 March 2027.[1] Upon completion, passengers can expect to travel between the airport and Gare de l'Est in just 20 minutes, covering a distance of 32 kilometres (20 mi).

History

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Background

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Charles de Gaulle Airport is one of few major international airports without an express link to the city centre. The airport is served by RER B, however this line is also heavily used by commuters. 30% of passengers travelling to the airport use RER B.[2]

The airport is also served by high-speed rail, however the TGV station is designed to connect other regions of France to the airport, rather than central Paris.[2]

Development

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In June 2000, SNCF, Réseau Ferré de France and Aéroports de Paris formed CDG-Express, a groupement d'intérêt économique, to develop a high-speed rail link from Paris to Charles de Gaulle Airport. It was proposed to open in 2006.[3][2]

In July 2008, a consortium of Vinci, Caisse des dépôts et consignations, Axa and Keolis was selected to finance, build and operate the line with a scheduled 2013 opening.[4] In 2011, the government abandoned the plan to have a consortium complete and operate the project.[2]

In 2014, the project was relaunched, with a 50:50 joint venture between SNCF Reseau and Paris Aéroport to build and manage the line.[5][6] Subsequently an updated DUP (Declaration of Public Utility) was granted and an government loan of € 1.7 million was approved in 2018.[2]

Following this, a SNCF Réseau, Groupe ADP and Caisse des dépôts et consignations formed a group with equal shares of equity capital of around €450-500 million. The group adopted the CDG Express nomenclature in 2019.[7] In November 2018, the company Hello Paris, a Keolis and RATP Group joint venture, was selected to operate the line for 15 years from January 2024 with a fleet of Alstom Coradia Liners.[8] €537 million would be spent to upgrade and improve RER B, improving reliability for Franciliens.[9]

Construction

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Platform construction for CDG Express at Gare de l'Est.

Construction of the line began in 2018, with an initial completion date of 2023 for the Paris 2024 Olympic and Paralympic Games. On 29 May 2019, transport minister Élisabeth Borne announced the CDG Express would be delayed to late 2025,[10] after the 2024 Summer Olympics, in order to focus on other infrastructure works in the northern suburbs of Paris.[11][12]

Legal challenges further delayed construction, with work suspended by a court in Montreuil in 2020. In 2022, the Administrative Court of Appeal of Paris permitted work to continue.

Commissioning with opening to the public is scheduled for 28 March 2027.[1]

Description

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Service

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CDG Express is expected to offer a 20-minute non-stop ride every 15 minutes from 5am to midnight.[13][2] The new line is expected to take airline customers off RER B, making room for local passengers, and divert 15% of airport automobile trips to rail.[13]

CDG Express will use dedicated platforms at both Charles de Gaulle Airport and Gare de l'Est. Ticket prices are expected to be around €24.

Route

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CDG Express will connect Charles de Gaulle Airport to Gare de l'Est in the 10th arrondissement of Paris. Leaving Gare de l'Est, the CDG Express will use 1 kilometre (0.62 mi) of new tracks linking it to the RER B tracks exiting Gare du Nord, before following RER B eastwards for 24 kilometres (15 mi) on tracks upgraded for 140 kilometres per hour (87 mph). After Villeparisis, the CDG Express will turn north on 8 kilometres (5.0 mi) of new tracks to follow the LGV Interconnexion Est high-speed line to the airport itself, with a 400 metres (1,300 ft) tunnel taking it to the existing Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV station.[2]

Rolling stock

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CDG Express Coradia Liner trains being stored in Strasbourg

CDG Express will use Coradia Liner trains.[2]

Hello Paris ordered 6 four-car and 7 six-car trains from Alstom in 2018 at a cost of €160 million. This order was transferred to Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) after Alstom purchased Bombardier Transportation. Trains will feature real-time flight information and luggage space.[2]

The first trains were completed in 2022, and some are being stored in Strasbourg pending the opening of the line.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b Compagnon, Sébastian (16 June 2025). "« 80 % des travaux sont aujourd'hui achevés » : le CDG Express sur les rails pour mars 2027". leparisien.fr (in French). Retrieved 8 July 2025.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Paris CDG Express airport train delayed to 2027". Railway Gazette International. 10 October 2024. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Roissy – CDG link deal". Railway Gazette International. 1 July 2000. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018.
  4. ^ "Preferred bidder selected for CDG Express concession". Railway Gazette International. 2 July 2008. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Charles-de-Gaulle Airport rail linking funding model approved". Railway Gazette International. 26 June 2017. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Charles-de-Gaulle Airport rail link project relaunched". Railway Gazette International. 24 January 2014. Archived from the original on 21 November 2018.
  7. ^ Railway Gazette International (10 October 2024). "Paris CDG Express airport train delayed to 2027". Retrieved 11 February 2025.
  8. ^ "Operator selected for CDG Express airport rail link". Railway Gazette International. 20 November 2018. Archived from the original on 24 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
  9. ^ "RER B : works and closures | Network modernisation". www.ratp.fr. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 4 August 2025.
  10. ^ Allix, Grégoire (29 May 2019). "La future ligne de train CDG Express ne sera finalement pas en service pour les JO de 2024" [The planned CDG Express train line will ultimately not be operational for the 2024 Olympic Games]. Le Monde (in French). Retrieved 12 October 2020.
  11. ^ Vigoureux, Thierry (30 May 2019). "Le CDG Express sur une voie de garage" [The CDG Express on a siding]. Le Point (in French). Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  12. ^ "Le CDG Express reporté à «fin 2025», annonce la ministre des Transports" [The CDG Express postponed to "end of 2025", announces the Minister of Transport]. Le Figaro (in French). Agence France-Presse. 29 May 2019. Retrieved 30 May 2019.
  13. ^ a b "Qu'est-ce que le projet CDG Express ?". cdgexpress.com. Archived from the original on 27 January 2023. Retrieved 25 January 2021.
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