HELLO Paris, the consortium of Keolis and RATP Dev that will operate the CDG Express non-stop service from Paris Est to Charles de Gaulle Airport, has unveiled its new train fleet that is due to enter service on March 28 2027.
Hello Paris has ordered 13 Coradia Polyvalent EMUs from CAF, in both four and six-car formations, built at company’s plant at Reichshoffen in eastern France. With a maximum speed of 150km/h, the new fleet will enable a journey time of 20 minutes between Paris Est and the Charles de Gaulle 2 station at the airport.
Of the 13 trains, 10 will be deployed every day as two are undergoing maintenance. The remaining train will be kept in reserve with a driver at Paris Est, ready to enter service should another train become unavailable.
Hello Paris says the interior has been designed to meet the specific needs of airline passengers, with 10 luggage racks located throughout the train. There is a low floor throughout, and ramps are fitted at the doors to bridge the gap between train and platform.
At one end of each train, an Express Lounge compartment will provide 12 seats in 2+1 configuration.
The first new trains began endurance testing on April 7, with each train required to accumulate 3000km on the national network. Two or three trains are being tested between 09.00 and 16.00 on the line from Paris Nord to Crépy-en-Valois, which CDG Express services will use as far as Mitry-Mory.
Drivers and supervisors are being trained at the same time, with objective of operating the full CDG Express timetable on a trial basis without passengers onboard from the start of 2027. Trains will operate every 15 minutes from 05.00 to midnight.
Infrastructure work for the project began in 2019 along the 32km between Paris Est station and the airport. This has included work to a provide dedicated platforms at Paris Est and a new connection running partly in tunnel to the Paris Nord - Crépy-en-Valois line used by RER Line B services.
CDG Express services will then travel for 22km to Mitry-Mory, using two existing tracks upgraded for operation at up to 140km/h. From Mitry-Mory, 8.1km of new construction runs alongside the existing high-speed line to Charles de Gaulle 2 station.
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