Emmanuel Macron: "a RER network" in 10 French cities

President Emmanuel Macron calls for the creation of 10 RER networks in the largest cities of France, modeled after Paris and Île-de-France.

Beyond electric cars, a frequently discussed topic close to his heart, Emmanuel Macron talked about public transportation this Sunday, November 27. In his new 13-minute video dedicated to ecology, the head of state responded to an Instagram user: “What are you doing to develop rail transportation in France and offer a real alternative to cars?”.

A new RER for 10 metropolitan areas in France

“When we live in metropolitan areas, to meet our ecological ambitions, I want us to set ourselves a major national goal” states E. Macron, “I want to develop a network of RER, urban trains in 10 metropolitan areas”. This comes in addition to SNCF’s goal to expand light rail on neglected axes.

“Actually, the RER is not just about Paris” continues the President of the Republic, “where there are congestion, too much traffic, where travel is complicated, we need to develop a true urban transport strategy and it’s a fantastic goal for ecology, the economy, and quality of life.”

However, few details are available on this. We don’t have dates, funding estimates, or information on whether discussions are ongoing with the relevant local authorities.

Which urban areas will have future RER networks?

Moreover, what are the ten major metropolitan areas that Emmanuel Macron refers to? Based on his statements, we can expect future RER networks in these cities and their neighboring communes below (INSEE 2019 data):

Lyon: 1.68 million inhabitants
Marseille-Aix: 1.61 million inhabitants
Lille: 1.05 million inhabitants
Toulouse: 1.03 million inhabitants
Bordeaux: 987,000 inhabitants
Nice: 952,000 inhabitants
Nantes: 664,000 inhabitants
Toulon: 586,000 inhabitants
Douai-Lens: 505,000 inhabitants
Strasbourg: 478,000 inhabitants

In a SNCF document from March 2020, it was also noted that the metropolitan areas with the “greatest potential” were: “Aix-Marseille, Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lille, Lyon, Nantes, Nice (Côte d’Azur), Rennes, Strasbourg, Toulouse”.

Which RER projects are already underway?

Currently, several RER projects are in progress. In Toulouse, a North RER is planned for 2024, between Matabiau station and Castellnau-d’Estrétefonds. In Bordeaux, the Metropolitan RER project is more ambitious, covering 102 kilometers and three lines, expected to enter service around 2028.

Similarly, in Lyon, but with a still unclear network and completion planned for… 2035. In Hauts-de-France, the Lille Express Network or RER Lille, proposed in 2017, aims to connect the regional capital to Hénin-Beaumont, and possibly Amiens and Saint-Quentin. Finally, Strasbourg is working on the REME project (European Metropolitan Express Network), linking Saverne, Haguenau, Molsheim, Sélestat, Herrlisheim, and even Offenbourg in Germany.

In the SNCF document mentioned earlier, the company also noted that Marseille, Nice and Grenoble already benefit from dedicated projects.

Also read: Ouigo Classic Train: SNCF’s low-cost service