Editing Réseau Express Régional (section)

==History==

===Origins===

Its roots are in the 1936 ''[[Henri Ruhlmann|Ruhlmann]]–[[Marc Langewin|Langewin]]'' plan of the {{lang|fr|[[Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris]]}} (Metropolitan Railway Company of Paris) for a "{{lang|fr|métropolitain express}}" (express [[rapid transit|metro]]). The company's post-war successor, RATP, revived the scheme in the 1950s, and in 1960 an interministerial committee decided to go ahead with the construction of an east–west line.<ref name="official hist"/> Subsequently, the central part of the RER was completed between 1962 and 1977 in a large-scale civil engineering project whose chief supervisor was [[Siavash Teimouri]]. The construction of the RER was a major undertaking, being highly visible to both Parisians and visiting tourists at various sites across the city for an extended period.<ref>Vitry and Sage 2018, pp. 87-88.</ref>

As its instigator, RATP was granted authority to run the new link. The embryonic (and as yet unnamed) RER was not properly conceived until the 1965 {{lang|fr|Schéma directeur d'aménagement et d'urbanisme}} (roughly: 'master plan for urban development'), which envisioned an H-shaped network with two north–south routes.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.institutparisregion.fr/documents-historiques-de-reference/schema-directeur-damenagement-et-durbanisme-de-la-region-de-paris-sdaurp/ |title=Schéma directeur d'aménagement et d'urbanisme de la région de Paris (SDAURP) |publisher=institutparisregion.fr |access-date=28 May 2023}}</ref> Between 1969 and 1970, RATP purchased the Vincennes and Saint-Germain lines from SNCF, as the basis for the east–west link.{{CN|date=May 2023}} Only a single north–south route crossing the [[Rive Gauche|Left Bank]] has so far come to fruition, although the Métro's line 13 has been extended to perform a similar function.

The RER's first phase of construction during the 1960s and 1970s was marked by scale and expense. In 1973 alone, [[French franc|FRF]] 2 billion were committed to the project in the budget, equating to roughly €1.37 billion in 2005 terms, and closer to double that as a proportion of the region's (then much smaller) economic output.{{r|cg2003|p=77|q=corresponding to around 9 billion francs in 2000}} The construction cost was controversial at the time of its construction.<ref name="bbc summary2004"/> This initial investment, along with subsequent spending, was partly financed by the ''[[versement transport]]'', a local tax levied on businesses that was introduced in July 1971. It has remained in effect into the twenty-first century.<ref>{{cite web |url = http://acegi.fr/Doc_Paie/Versement_transport.pdf |title = Versement transport |publisher = ACGEI |access-date = 11 November 2011 |url-status = dead |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120425154900/http://acegi.fr/Doc_Paie/Versement_transport.pdf |archive-date = 25 April 2012 |df = dmy-all }}</ref>

===First phase===

During the first phase of construction, the Vincennes and Saint-Germain lines became the ends of the east-west [[RER A|Line A]], the central section of which was opened station by station between 1969 and 1977. On its completion, Line A was joined by the initial southern section of the north-south [[RER B|Line B]]. Both Lines A and B were intentionally designed to converge with as many of the existing commuter lines as possible as to maximise its usefulness to existing travelers.<ref name="Blakely 11">Blakely 1993, p. 11.</ref> During this first phase, six new stations were built, three of which are entirely underground.

Construction was inaugurated by [[Robert Buron]], then Minister for Public Works, at the [[Pont de Neuilly]] on 6 July 1961, four years before the publication of the official network blueprint. The rapid expansion of the [[La Défense]] business district in the west made the western section of the first line a priority. [[Nation (Paris Métro and RER)|Nation]], the first new station, was opened on 12 December 1969 and became for the next 8 years the new western terminus of the Vincennes line.<ref>{{cite magazine |title = Deep-Level Underground for Paris |magazine = [[The Railway Magazine]] |issue = 826 |date = February 1970 |pages = 80–83}}</ref><ref name="official hist">{{cite web |url = https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/about-us/history |title = About us: History |date = 22 July 2021 |publisher = Île-de-France Mobilités |access-date = 28 May 2023}}</ref> The section from [[Charles de Gaulle–Étoile station|Étoile]] (not yet renamed after [[Charles de Gaulle]]) to {{stn|La Défense}} was opened a few weeks later. It was later extended eastward to the newly built {{stn|Auber}} on 23 November 1971, and westward to [[Gare de Saint Germain-en-Laye|Saint-Germain-en-Laye]] on 1 October 1972. The latter extension was achieved by a connection to the existing Saint-Germain-en-Laye line, the oldest railway line into Paris, at [[Nanterre]].<ref>{{cite magazine |title = The Underground Revolution |magazine = [[Rail (magazine)|Rail Enthusiast]] |issue = 23 |date = August 1983 |pages = 8–10}}</ref>

The RER network was inaugurated on 8 December 1977 with the joining of the eastern {{stn|Nation}}-[[Boissy-Saint-Léger station|Boissy]] segment and the western {{stn|Auber}}–{{stn|Saint-Germain-en-Laye}} segment at {{stn|Châtelet–Les Halles}}. The inauguration was attended by President [[Valery Giscard D'Estaing]].<ref name="bbc summary2004">{{cite web |url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3911207.stm |title = France's answer to Crossrail |publisher = [[BBC News]] |first = Hugh |last = Schofield |date = 20 July 2004}}</ref> The southern ''[[Ligne de Sceaux]]'' was simultaneously extended from [[Gare du Luxembourg (Paris RER)|Luxembourg]] to meet Line A at ''Châtelet – Les Halles'', becoming the new Line B. The system of line letters was introduced to the public on this occasion, though it had been used internally by RATP and SNCF for some time.

===Second phase===

A second phase of construction commenced at the end of the 1970s, which was carried out at a slower pace than the first phase. SNCF gained the authorisation to operate its own routes, which became lines C, D and E. Extensive sections of suburban tracks were added to the network, but only four new stations were built.{{CN|date=May 2023}}

During 1979, [[RER C|Line C]] (along the Left Bank of the Seine) was added, although it almost entirely comprised existing SNCF lines.<ref name="Blakely 11"/> The main civil engineering works performed involved the construction of a connecting link between [[Invalides (Paris RER)|Invalides]] and [[Musée d'Orsay (Paris RER)|Musée d'Orsay]].{{CN|date=May 2023}} In 1981, [[RER B|Line B]] was extended through to Gare du Nord via a new deep tunnel from [[Gare de Châtelet – Les Halles|Châtelet – Les Halles]]. It was later extended further northward.<ref>{{Cite magazine |date = January 1995 |title = World Update |magazine = [[Railway Age]] |page = 68}}</ref><ref>Dienel 2004, p. 193.</ref> By 1992, a total of 233 miles of track was operational, while a further 94 miles were under construction.<ref name="Blakely 11"/>

During 1995, [[RER D|Line D]] (north to south-east via Châtelet – Les Halles) was completed; its primary feature was a purpose-built deep tunnel between Châtelet – Les Halles and [[Gare de Lyon]].<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20080422005605/http://www.ina.fr/archivespourtous/index.php?vue=notice&id_notice=PAC9826327507 INA - Report on the new RER D]</ref> No new building work was necessary at Châtelet – Les Halles, as additional platforms for Line D had been built at the time of the station's construction 20 years earlier. In 1999, [[RER E|Line E]] was added to the network, connecting the north-east with [[Gare Saint-Lazare]] by means of a new deep tunnel from [[Gare de l'Est]].{{CN|date=May 2023}}