Rhône Express Regional
Encyclopedia
The Geneva RER or Rhône Express Regional) is a commuter railway service which runs between Geneva Cornavin Station
, Switzerland
(where it mostly uses the dedicated Platform 5) and La Plaine (Swiss terminus) and Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
in France. It forms part of the Lyon-Geneva Railway. It is probably not a coincidence that the initials correspond to the Paris suburban railway commuter network RER
.
This line is electrified at 1500V DC
and signalled to SNCF
standards from the border to both Geneva's central passenger station and La Praille goods depot.
Prior to the introduction of the "RER" brand in 1995 the Geneva - La-Plaine service was operated by two notoriously unreliable BDe 4/4 II
railcars.
(ACMV)) with electrical equipment by Asea Brown Boveri
in 1994. They ran under 1.5kV DC wires, but were equipped with a diesel engine to enable them to reach the workshops.
When the service frequency was expanded, some trains composed of RIO carriages hauled by BB25500
series locos. This rather antiquated rolling stock was replaced progressively by Stadler FLIRT
RABe 524 EMUs
From December 2010, Geneva - la Plaine services are operated by three Stadler FLIRT
RABe 524 EMUs, which are not certified to run beyond la Plaine, while Geneva-Bellegarde services are operated by the Bem 4/6 550s. The RABe 524 are temporarily taken from the Ticino S-Bahn system as they can also run on 1500 V DC. These sets will come back to S-Bahn Ticino when the Genève-La Plaine line will be re-electrified with 25 kV AC as they cannot use this type of current.
The new, enlarged, RER network will cover the present Eaux Vives to Annemasse line with services at regular intervals beyond to serve Evian, St. Gervais and Annecy, the present Cornavin to La Plaine line with services beyond to serve Bellegarde and the CFF services operating from Lancy (Pont Rouge) to Coppet through Cornavin, some of which are extended to Nyon. These services at present carry some 7,000 commuters a day and this is expected to grow to over 35,000 and cut up to 50,000 car journeys between France and Switzerland.
The largest civil engineering project within the scheme is the CEVA
line from Cornavin to Annemasse which will be in tunnel between La Praille, close by the present goods station, and Eaux Vives. Between Eaux Vives and Annemasse the present line will be closed for a four years period whilst it is doubled and cut-and-covered. The whole scheme is expect to cost 776 million euro and include improvements to the French stations, although 650 million euro will be spent in Switzerland.
As part of the scheme and to avoid RER rolling stock needing three voltages, Cornavin – La Plaine – Bellegarde is being re-electrified at 25 kV AC. This will not only allow standard Swiss dual voltage (25kvAC 50Hz and 15kV 16 2/3Hz) EMUs to work on the line but also improve the performance of the TGV workings (Paris-Geneva TGVs will no longer need to run under 1.5kV DC).
Also, the French signaling and train control between Geneva and la Plaine will be replaced with standard Swiss equipment, the points motors renewed and the line fully automated
Gare de Cornavin
Genève-Cornavin is Geneva's main railway station, located in the centre of the city...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
(where it mostly uses the dedicated Platform 5) and La Plaine (Swiss terminus) and Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine
Bellegarde-sur-Valserine is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.-Geography:Bellegarde is located at the confluence of the Valserine and the Rhône....
in France. It forms part of the Lyon-Geneva Railway. It is probably not a coincidence that the initials correspond to the Paris suburban railway commuter network RER
RER
The RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
.
This line is electrified at 1500V DC
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
and signalled to SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
standards from the border to both Geneva's central passenger station and La Praille goods depot.
Prior to the introduction of the "RER" brand in 1995 the Geneva - La-Plaine service was operated by two notoriously unreliable BDe 4/4 II
SBB-CFF-FFS BDe 4/4 II
This article is translated from the German.The BDe 4/4 II were specially built for the CFF line La-Plaine - Geneva. The line is electrified, not to Swiss standard, but to the Southern french 1.5kV DC standard, The two special electric multiple unit were delivered in 1956 and 1957 as BFe 4/4 II...
railcars.
Rolling stock
Initially, service was operated by five specially built two coach articulated railcars of class Bem 4/6 550. These were built by Vevey Technologies (formerly Ateliers de Constructions Mécaniques de VeveyAteliers de Constructions Mécaniques de Vevey
Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey was an metal engineering company based in Vevey, Switzerland. Founded as Ateliers B.Roy & Cie in 1848 by Benjamin Roy it became Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey SA in 1895....
(ACMV)) with electrical equipment by Asea Brown Boveri
Asea Brown Boveri
ABB is a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation headquartered in Zürich, Switzerland, and best known for its robotics. ABB operates mainly in the power and automation technology areas. It ranked 143rd in Forbes Ranking ....
in 1994. They ran under 1.5kV DC wires, but were equipped with a diesel engine to enable them to reach the workshops.
When the service frequency was expanded, some trains composed of RIO carriages hauled by BB25500
SNCF Class BB 25500
SNCF's BB 25500 class are part of a series of electric locomotives built by Alstom. They are the dual system version of the BB 17000 and BB 8500 locomotives . They are fitted with monomotor bogies with two different gear ratios. This allows them to have increased tractive effort in exchange for a...
series locos. This rather antiquated rolling stock was replaced progressively by Stadler FLIRT
Stadler FLIRT
Stadler FLIRT is an electric multiple unit produced by Stadler Rail AG. The articulated trainset comes in units of two to six cars with two to six motorized axles. The maximum speed is 200 km/h...
RABe 524 EMUs
From December 2010, Geneva - la Plaine services are operated by three Stadler FLIRT
Stadler FLIRT
Stadler FLIRT is an electric multiple unit produced by Stadler Rail AG. The articulated trainset comes in units of two to six cars with two to six motorized axles. The maximum speed is 200 km/h...
RABe 524 EMUs, which are not certified to run beyond la Plaine, while Geneva-Bellegarde services are operated by the Bem 4/6 550s. The RABe 524 are temporarily taken from the Ticino S-Bahn system as they can also run on 1500 V DC. These sets will come back to S-Bahn Ticino when the Genève-La Plaine line will be re-electrified with 25 kV AC as they cannot use this type of current.
Service
The service is twice hourly in each direction weekdays, with additional hourly services to Bellegarde at peak hours. These services do not stop at La Plaine (since 10 December 2010). Fares, within the Swiss sector are covered within the Geneva Tout system, zones 11-17 and will eventually be incorporated into the Lac Léman Mobilis system when this reaches Geneva in 2010.The future
On 8 February 2008, the Swiss and French Railways brought into being a study and marketing company, Transferis, which is to look at improvements to the RER system. They are to look at the type of train to be used and evaluate to market for improvements to line and service provided. This has been brought about by the number of commuters living in France and working in Geneva, not only on the short, existing RER system but on the lines leaving the station at Eaux Vives on the south side of the lake.The new, enlarged, RER network will cover the present Eaux Vives to Annemasse line with services at regular intervals beyond to serve Evian, St. Gervais and Annecy, the present Cornavin to La Plaine line with services beyond to serve Bellegarde and the CFF services operating from Lancy (Pont Rouge) to Coppet through Cornavin, some of which are extended to Nyon. These services at present carry some 7,000 commuters a day and this is expected to grow to over 35,000 and cut up to 50,000 car journeys between France and Switzerland.
The largest civil engineering project within the scheme is the CEVA
CEVA rail
CEVA is the name given to a project to connect the main Swiss railway line into Geneva from the rest of Switzerland to the at present isolated link out of Geneva Eaux Vives station to Annemasse Haute-Savoie,...
line from Cornavin to Annemasse which will be in tunnel between La Praille, close by the present goods station, and Eaux Vives. Between Eaux Vives and Annemasse the present line will be closed for a four years period whilst it is doubled and cut-and-covered. The whole scheme is expect to cost 776 million euro and include improvements to the French stations, although 650 million euro will be spent in Switzerland.
As part of the scheme and to avoid RER rolling stock needing three voltages, Cornavin – La Plaine – Bellegarde is being re-electrified at 25 kV AC. This will not only allow standard Swiss dual voltage (25kvAC 50Hz and 15kV 16 2/3Hz) EMUs to work on the line but also improve the performance of the TGV workings (Paris-Geneva TGVs will no longer need to run under 1.5kV DC).
Also, the French signaling and train control between Geneva and la Plaine will be replaced with standard Swiss equipment, the points motors renewed and the line fully automated