Transilien - The Transilien Today

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 P, Paris Est
• Transilien H and K, Paris Nord
• Transilien J and L, Paris Saint-Lazare
• Transilien U, Paris La Défense
• Transilien N, Paris Montparnasse
• Transilien R, 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.