More than 80% of construction work is now completed on the soon-to-open express shuttle service that promises to offer a non-stop 20-minute journey from Paris Gare de l'Est to Charles de Gaulle airport.
So far, eight kilometres of track dedicated to the project have been completed. The project is set to cost €2.2 billion in total.
A view of the new CDG Express routeParigo / France 3
“There is still the most work to be done in the Saint-Denis zone,” said Patrice Schmitt, director of CDG Express at SNCF Réseau, to France 3. “We have signalling work still to do. Overall, we have two major phases still to do. The first is set for August 2025, the second May 2026.
“After that, we will just have the tests to do, to enable us to launch the service in March 2027.”
The service is set to be operated jointly by subsidiaries of transport companies RATP and SNCF. The latter has said that it is aiming to serve up to 25,000 passengers per day (more than nine million per year) once fully operational.
‘A rich people’s train’?
Yet, some critics have also called the new shuttle a “rich people’s train”, and denounced the expected €24 ticket price (including Navigo pass holders). This is more than the current €13 cost of the journey by train (for a journey just 10 minutes’ faster).
Some also say that it will have negative knock-on effects on the RER B service, with SNCF not yet confirming if it will grant priority to the RER B service on its tracks during peak times.
However Mr Schmitt defended the shuttle’s usefulness saying “the CDG Express will allow a real link for all people going towards the airport from Paris. Some of these will take the RER B, but some, a lot in fact, take the road, and block the A1 and A3 motorways.
“The CDG Express…will really allow an improvement in transport conditions for all Ile-de-France users. We have modernised the track, the overhead lines, and created functionality in three stations, which will allow trains to turn around, to give a lot more flexibility on the lines.”
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Similarly, three years after the shuttle’s proposed opening date, Roissy-CDG is also set to be served by metro line 17, linking to Saint-Denis Pleyel (by 2030).
A view of the new CDG Express route and M17 route from 2030Parigo / France 3
‘Finally, quality public transport for CDG’
Justine Coutard, deputy CEO of Aéroport de Paris, said that having several ways to arrive at CDG is a good thing. She said it will enable passengers to reduce their use of taxis, and limit the number of bulky suitcases on the RER B line (which make it less convenient and comfortable for daily users).
“We should be celebrating the fact that CDG will finally have quality public transport,” she said, adding that the different lines will primarily target different areas and passengers.
The line 17 will be mainly used by locals, she said, and the CDG Express will be targeting mainly international airline passengers, in the image of shuttle trains in other major European cities.
Ms Coutard also defended the project’s cost, saying that “the economic model has been reviewed, with quite prudent hypotheses”, and, by serving nine million passengers per year, it will not require taxpayer money to operate. She said that the project would reimburse all state loans received so far.
Funding would come from ADP, SNCF Réseau, and the Banque des Territoires, as well as a small tax paid via airline tickets, and the price of the shuttle tickets themselves.
Ms Coutard also addressed the cost of tickets, saying there would be special prices for families and workers.
She also said that the ticket price compared well with shuttle trains in other European cities, such as the Heathrow Express, (which costs £25 / €29.80 for a single journey and £30 / €35.80 for a same day return, although there is currently a special offer for a £10 / €11.90 single ticket if booked 45 days in advance).
“We feel that this [CDG Express] ticket price is completely in-line with what is already out there,” she said, adding that around 40% of passengers are expected to be those who would otherwise have used the RER B, and another 40% from those who would otherwise have used a taxi or driven.
