Paris transport authorities had warned that 2023 would be the year of work and construction across the Greater Paris rail network, which is one of the densest in the world. The magnitude of the construction work is set to be unprecedented this weekend, until the public holiday on Tuesday, August 15, with interruptions in every direction, including the closure of part of the commuter RER line B, Europe's second-busiest rail line. Other lines affected in the Paris region include the K, which serves the north of the Ile-de-France region, and the Paris-Laon regional train, for the segment between Paris and Mitry.
The RER's line B will be closed from Gare du Nord, meaning the service that runs to Charles de Gaulle airport and that crosses through northern Paris suburbs will not be accessible from midnight on Saturday, August 12, to the morning of Tuesday, August 15.
The aim is not only to prepare for the arrival of the CDG Express, the future direct Paris-Charles de Gaulle link, and to create interconnections with future metro lines 16 and 17, but also to create reversing tracks that will offer the possibility, in the event of an incident on the RER, of having different sections on the line.
The scheduled works are necessary, but their impact is considerable. Even on a Monday in the middle of August, 200,000 people usually use the route affected. It was the busiest route during the Covid-19 lockdown. The RER line B is the route for frontline workers who are unable to work from home. The exceptional number of buses deployed to compensate for the closure will not be enough. Only 100,000 passengers can be transported by the replacement service, hence the insistent calls to limit travel on Monday.
A total of 600 replacement buses, including 168 coaches for the airport alone and 1,000 additional drivers, were mobilized. Several calls for backup support have been issued. The vehicles come from "all over Ile-de-France and France," according to Amandine Martin, the general secretary of Transilien SNCF Voyageurs. From the airport, tourists will preferably board shuttle buses that will take them directly to Paris. Other buses will link Aulnay-sous-Bois, in the northern Paris suburb, to the RER D station at the Stade de France. A bus is scheduled to leave every 40 seconds in Aulnay. Baggage handlers and 200 employees to assist passengers during busy periods have been called in to reinforce the operation. The Groupe ADP, which operates Paris airports, has announced that it has set up a special display for arrivals, with a large number of specially trained agents on hand to assist travelers. Airline companies have been informed.
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