Transilien

The Transilien (pronounced: [tʁɑ̃s.il.jɛ̃]) is the brand name of the suburban railway service of the SNCF-owned railway network operating within the Île-de-France région. "Transilien" is a derivative of Francilien, a term commonly used to describe the inhabitants of the Île-de-France.

Transilien trains depart from Paris' main railway and RER stations (although many city-centre RER stations are run by the RATP) and the western business district of La Défense. Transilien services transported 615 million passengers in 2004.

The first line to the suburbs of Paris was opened on the 26 August 1837. The route went from Paris-Saint-Lazare to Le Pecq. The railway link was thought of as key to the western suburbs. On 1 October 1972, the line was handed over to the RER, and commenced service as the RER's ligne A.

The transilien is divided into six key entities, which are divided according to SNCF guidelines and are in no way related to the departmental boundaries. The lines are then divided into branches which, similarly to the RER, are given letters, although until 2005, these letters were unknown to the wider travelling public.

The six Transilien entities are:

The system is slightly complicated, in that for each different entity, structures are very different. Key complications include:

The importance of these glitches in the network are visible at times when SNCF staff go on strike or when serious technical problems occur on the network. Thousands of travellers arrive late for work, or when there are serious problems, decide not to go into work causing a huge financial burden for companies.

The extent of the lines means that concentric zoning is used. Trains bound for the outer zones are normally operated as express trains, meaning trains serve Paris termini then operate non-stop to the outer zones, meaning less travel time.

The used on the Transilien comes from a long evolution of the material in the suburbs. The following stock is used on the network:

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