More than a year ago, in April 2024, the reorganization of the RER C, with plans to cut lines in central Paris, sparked a revolt from elected officials south of Essonne. This Tuesday, November 18, Valérie Pécresse, president of the Ile-de-France region, confirmed to Le Parisien the terms of the future rebuilding of the line.
He plans the future terminal at Paris-Austerlitz. Serving the Dourdan and Saint-Martin d’Étampes branches will be renamed “line Y”. This new semi-direct route will not stop anywhere between Brétigny and the capital, reducing travel time. In addition, Valérie Pécresse wants to order 55 new trains as quickly as possible, commissioned for this future Y line in 2032.
So many proposals that this time seem to satisfy the majority of elected officials as well as user associations, which Le Parisien joins.
“The mayor has changed his mind”
Maryvonne Noël, president of the RER C “Circule” users association, confirmed that this proposal stems from their suggestions. “Nowadays, there is hardly a day without a train being canceled or slowed down… he complained. This is becoming very painful for the residents of Ile-de-France who live on the Dourdan and Étampes branches. Not to mention the outdated rolling stock. »
The president of the association recalled the first time he faced “a group of mayors led by Brétigny-sur-Orge”. “Most of them changed their minds after hearing our arguments,” he said happily. Therefore, this project was a victory, especially after the severing of ties with the northern branch. Only 20% of users live south of Brétigny beyond Austerlitz. But they will also benefit from new equipment with USB sockets. » In the evening, users will board empty carriages at Austerlitz station. “When you get on the train after a long day, it feels good to have a seat,” he notes.
The association “La Vignette du Respect” initially opposed this project. “We mobilized against load disruptions at Paris Austerlitz because we considered that the lines furthest from Paris – Saint-Martin d’Étampes and Dourdan – would not experience further reductions in service,” explained Rémi Lavenant, president. Adding matches often adds uncertainty. »
But after realizing that the area seemed to “want to move forward,” the association asked for reassurance. “We want work to be completed at Paris Austerlitz and guaranteed platform-to-platform changes at the François-Mitterrand library station. We also want to achieve a reduction in journey times between Juvisy and Brétigny during off-peak hours. We got all that, he appreciates. To see if the promises will be kept.”
“This will be a revolution south of Essonne”
Paolo de Carvalho, mayor (Renaissance) of Dourdan, who is also concerned about one part of the future Y line, believes the region is “listening carefully” to the requests of elected officials.
“We must continue this strengthening of transport with the aim of one TER per hour between 6 am and 11 pm, which will allow suburban residents to access Paris in less than forty minutes. This will be a revolution in the south of Essonne, he enthuses. This will also encourage Parisians to come and walk in the Dourdan forest, which is the second green lung of Île-de-France. »
He also welcomed the prospect of reduced dysfunction. “On paper, the line across Paris from north to south looks good, but this increases the likelihood of accumulated delays,” he said. Cutting the line seems like a good thing to me. »
The mayor also welcomed the proposal to add TER trains to the Y line thanks to an agreement between the Ile-de-France and Centre-Val de Loire regions. “We have an opportunity between Châteaudun and Paris to make an additional stop at Dourdan,” he reported. We must now strengthen direct routes so that users from the suburbs take less than an hour to reach Paris. »
“2032 is a long time for users”
Meanwhile, Johann Mittelhausser, president of the Étampois Sud-Essonne agglomeration, considers this reorganization “much better than the first copy which only contained a break in relations”. He recalled that the central section – the tunnel at Saint-Michel – did not allow the new trains to be used on two floors.
“It’s unsolvable,” he exclaimed. We also cannot be satisfied with RER C which only has one level. To get this part to fit, we had to wait years for a very expensive major job. » After reflection, he congratulated himself: “Finally, the dissatisfaction of elected officials made it possible to reach an agreed solution.”
Only Franck Marlin, mayor (LR), Étampes seemed mixed. “I’m the only grumpy one in the group, right?”, he quips. Because, if he thinks the project is “appealing on paper”, then council members are wondering about the deadline. “This is an operation planned for 2032. That is a long time for users. We are at the end of the regional mandate, he recalled. So we should bet on the renewal of Madame Pécresse’s mandate? I think this improvement may have been seen before given that the difficulties facing RER C have been going on for a long time. »
