Strasbourg RER: Delay in the Activation of the REME

Victim of a too-slow start, Strasbourg’s REME or RER raises concerns up to the Ministry of Transport, which announces improvements this spring.

The end of 2022 was a glorious time for the RER. Not only did President Emmanuel Macron announce on November 28 his wish to deploy a network of 10 RER lines in France, but Strasbourg’s was set to start on December 11. However, the Alsace network is not as idyllic as announced…

Improvement of Strasbourg RER in spring?

The REME (European Metropolitan Express Network), also nicknamed Strasbourg RER, experienced many issues at launch. “It is not a fiasco. It is a very ambitious project. And it is facing startup difficulties,” admits Transport Minister Delegate Clément Beaune to France Bleu.

Some stations lack services, only about half of the approximately 800 trains running, and progress is slow, as reported by our colleagues at Le Monde. The reason cited is “technical complexity” by vice-president of Eurométropole Alain Jund, especially concerning managing two train arrivals per minute and station displays. The official website of Strasbourg’s metropolis is indeed vague about when normal service will start, indicating implementation as “early 2023.”

Proof that the problems are significant, the government sent a representative to expedite the process. Clément Beaune met with the new president of the Grand Est region on January 20 to discuss the issue. He initially went there for the visit of Lohr, an industrial manufacturer, for the Draisy light train project. In a tweet, the minister stated that “difficulties must be resolved by the beginning of spring.” However, according to Le Monde, the first phase would not arrive before early April, with the second in August…

To compensate customers, SNCF is offering a 50% discount on subscriptions and low-priced TER tickets for 3 months.

Strasbourg Spreads Out with Germany

While this issue remains unresolved, local representatives were in talks with their German counterparts from the Upper Rhine region to discuss trains and sign a manifesto to this effect. The day before, on January 19, the president of Eurométropole Pia Imbs reiterated that “REME is an example of concrete action planned at the European level.”

More generally, elected officials gathered in Strasbourg discussed “developing both transnational European rail transport and cross-border regional connections,” similar to what Freiburg’s mayor, Martin Horn, advocates. Essentially, we will need to wait longer, but there was talk of fixed timetable trains on the Strasbourg-Basel line, shared tariffs, or electrification of the Strasbourg-Lauterbourg line. And what about Strasbourg’s RER?

Also read: Brussels-Berlin: a new night train in 2023!