RER C

RER C
RER C train crossing the Pont Rouelle, with the Eiffel Tower in the background, as seen from Île aux Cygnes
Overview
Termini	Pontoise (C1) Versailles Château Rive Gauche (C5) Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (C7) Massy–Palaiseau (C2) Dourdan-la-Forêt (C4) Saint-Martin-d'Étampes (C6)
Connecting lines
Stations	75
Service
Type	Rapid transit/commuter rail
System	Réseau Express Régional
Operator	SNCF
Rolling stock	Z 5600, Z 8800, Z 20500, Z 20900
Ridership	140 million journeys per year
History
Opened	26 September 1979 (26 September 1979)
Last extension	2006
Technical
Line length	185.6 km (115.3 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	Overhead line:     25 kV 50 Hz AC     1,500 V DC
Route map  C1  Pontoise    l'Oise Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône   Saint-Ouen-l'Aumône-Liesse   Pierrelaye    C3  Montigny–Beauchamp   Franconville – Le Plessis-Bouchard     Coignières Cernay      La Verrière Ermont–Eaubonne      Trappes Saint-Gratien      Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines  C7  Épinay-sur-Seine         Saint-Cyr la Seine       Versailles Chantiers  C8  Gennevilliers   Versailles Château Rive Gauche  C5  Les Grésillons Porchefontaine la Seine Saint-Ouen       Viroflay Rive Gauche Porte de Clichy      Chaville–Vélizy Pereire–Levallois   Neuilly–Porte Maillot       Meudon-Val-Fleury Avenue Foch    Issy Avenue Henri Martin     Issy–Val de Seine Boulainvilliers    Pont du Garigliano Avenue du Président Kennedy   Javel la Seine Petit Jouy-Les Loges Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel   Jouy-en-Josas Pont de l'Alma   Vauboyen Invalides    Bièvres Musée d'Orsay   Igny Saint-Michel–Notre-Dame         *     Massy–Palaiseau  C2  Gare d'Austerlitz      Massy–Verrières Bibliothèque François Mitterrand   Chemin d'Antony [  Avenue de France]     Rungis–La Fraternelle Ivry-sur-Seine Pont de Rungis–Aéroport d'Orly  C12  Vitry-sur-Seine Orly-Ville Les Ardoines   Les Saules Choisy-le-Roi    Tvm  Longjumeau Villeneuve-le-Roi Chilly-Mazarin Ablon Gravigny – Balizy Athis-Mons Petit Vaux  C10  Juvisy    * Savigny-sur-Orge Épinay-sur-Orge   Sainte-Geneviève-des-Bois Saint-Michel-sur-Orge Brétigny La Norville–Saint-Germain-lès-Arpajon Arpajon Marolles-en-Hurepoix Égly Bouray Breuillet–Bruyères-le-Châtel Lardy Breuillet–Village Chamarande Saint-Chéron Étréchy Sermaise Étampes Dourdan  C6  Saint-Martin-d'Étampes Dourdan-la-Forêt  C4  Wheelchair accessibility must be booked in advance * Under construction

RER C is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris and its suburbs. The 186-kilometre (116 mi) line crosses the region from north to south. Briefly, between September 1979 and May 1980, the line was known as the Transversal Rive Gauche. The line is operated by SNCF.

The line runs from the northern termini Pontoise (C1), Versailles Château Rive Gauche (C5) and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines (C7) to the southern termini Massy–Palaiseau (C2), Dourdan-la-Forêt (C4) and Saint-Martin-d'Étampes (C6).

The RER C line is the second-longest in the network, created from an amalgamation and renovation of several old SNCF commuter lines, unlike RER A and B which had newer sections owned and constructed by RATP. Each day, over 531 trains run on the RER C alone, and carries over 540,000 passengers daily, 150,000 passengers more than the entirety of the TGV network.

It is the most popular RER line for tourists, who represent 15% of its passengers, as the line serves many monuments and museums, including the Palace of Versailles. However, the numerous stops, combined with the old and fragile infrastructure the line inherited, makes the Parisian section of the RER C slow and inefficient. The numerous old curves and steep grades on RER C mean trains sometimes need to slow down to 30 km/h (20 mph) to safely pass sections with tight alignments. In contrast, RER A was constructed to more modern standards enabling much higher average operating speeds. These problems are particularly evident on trips to and from the northern suburbs to the city center as taking Transilien lines and transferring to the Paris Metro can be faster than taking the RER C with its closely spaced stops. In addition, the RER C's complicated operating schedule created by its complex network of numerous branches means the entire line is vulnerable to delays from even small incidents.