Emmanuel Macron announced on Sunday, via a video on Youtube, his intention to ". to fulfil our ecological ambition [...] we need to have a major national ambition, to develop an RER network, urban trains in 10 major conurbations, ten major French citiess ". The Chairman would like to see the introduction of "a genuine urban transport strategy" The aim is to combat the traffic congestion that has plagued these cities for many years. " To think that the RER is not just for Paris, [...] it's a great objective for the ecology, the economy and the quality of life." . In his message, however, Emmanuel Macron did not list the conurbations concerned, the budget allocated to this project or how it would be financed, given that rail transport in the regions is a regional responsibility.
Several regions one RER ahead
While the Ile-de-France region is held up as an example with its regional express network (RER), which is still being developed and for which the region is investing massively in new equipment, it is not alone in developing its daily trains. Several regions are working on rapid transit projects for their main cities, such as the Grand Est region for Strasbourg, Nancy, Metz and eventually Reims. Expected in Strasbourg in the coming weeks, this Alsace RER serving 11 stations is based on the adaptation and development of the existing TER network, accompanied by a significant increase in service.
In Hauts-de-France, the region is also working on an express network to be built in the near future. linking Lille to the towns in the coalfield as Valencienne, Béthune, Lens, Douai and Hénin-Beaumont. However, users are not expected to benefit from this project until 2035, given the investment and works required, including a new underground station at Lille Flandres.
Other regions, such as PACA and Nouvelle Aquitaine, have also begun discussions, or even plans, concerning the cities of Lyon, Aix-Marseille, Grenoble, Toulouse and Bordeaux. These projects involve the creation of new stations, but often also multimodal interchanges, with coaches replacing trains on some of the planned future lines.
