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The Transilien is the brand name for railway services of the SNCF-owned railway network operating within Paris' Île-de-France région. "Transilien" is a derivative of "Francilien", a term commonly used to describe the inhabitants of the Île-de-France région.
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.
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History
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.
During the Paris riots of 2005, Transilien withdrew its services to the suburbs, for fear of the safety of their staff.
The Transilien today
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:
- Transilien Paris – Est
- Transilien Paris – Nord
- Transilien Paris – Saint-Lazare
- Transilien Paris – La Défense
- Transilien Paris – Montparnasse
- Transilien Paris – Lyon
The system is slightly complicated, in that for each different entity, structures are very different. Key complications include:
- The power supplies
- The numbers of branches
- The lack of onward transportation beyond the termini
- Density of trains on the network
- The mix of traffic on the railway including express trains, freight trains, long distance trains, Transilien trains and RER traffic.
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.
Transilen entities
"Paris Montparnasse" lines
The trains on this line operate from Gare Montparnasse along the following routes:
- Transilien N
- Paris Montparnasse - Mantes-la-Jolie via Plaisir-Grignon
- Paris Montparnasse - Houdan - Dreux
- Paris Montparnasse - Rambouillet - Gazeran - Chartres
"Paris Lyon" lines
The trains on this line operate from Gare de Lyon along the following routes :
- Transilien R
- Paris Lyon - Melun
- Paris Lyon - Montereau via Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons
- Paris Lyon - Souppes-Château-Landon - Montargis
- Melun - Montereau via Héricy
"Paris Nord" lines
The trains on this line operate from Gare du Nord along the following routes:
- Transilien K
- Gare du Nord - Mitry-Claye
- Gare du Nord - Dammartin Juilly Saint-Mard - Crépy-en-Valois
- Transilien H
- Gare du Nord - Luzarches
- Gare du Nord - Persan-Beaumont via Montsoult-Maffliers (Eastern branch) or via Ermont-Eaubonne (Western Branch) - Beauvais
- Gare du Nord - Pontoise - Persan-Beaumont - Bruyères-sur-Oise - Creil
"Paris Est" lines
The trains on this line operate from Gare de l'Est along the following routes:
- Transilien P North
- Paris Est - Meaux
- Paris Est - Crouy-sur-Ourcq - La Ferté-Milon
- Paris Est - Nanteuil-Saâcy - Château-Thierry
- Paris Est - Esbly - Crécy-la-Chapelle
- Transilien P South
- Paris Est - Longueville - Provins
- Paris Est - Coulommiers
- Paris Est - La Ferté-Gaucher
"Paris Saint-Lazare" lines
The trains on this line operate from Gare Saint-Lazare along the following routes:
- Transilien J North
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Cormeilles-en-Parisis
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Pontoise
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Chars - Gisors
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Mantes-la-Jolie par Conflans
- Transilien J South
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Poissy - Mantes-la-Jolie
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Port-Villez - Vernon
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Bréval - Évreux (via Mantes-la Jolie)
Transilien L North Paris Saint-Lazare - Cergy-le-Haut
- Transilien L South
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Saint-Cloud
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Versailles-rive-droite
- Paris Saint-Lazare - Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche
- Saint-Germain-en-Laye - Grande ceinture - Noisy-le-Roi
"La Défense - La Verrière" line
The trains on this line operate from La Défense station along the following route:
- Transilien U
- La Défense - La Verrière