Loco haulage for short journeys around Paris?

Peter Mugridge said:

Assuming that means you're on the 20.13 Eurostar, that would be a very high risk move.

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That's the one, somehow it says 20:10 when I booked it!

You've got a point there, seeing as it takes nearly 30 minutes to Meaux, might just photograph it instead, or just go about on Line N!

Yes, 30 minutes to Meaux - then the wait for something coming back, then the walk time from Est to Nord... and the minimum 30 minute check in...

It could be 20.10 if there's engineering out of Nord on the day in question.

Timetable screenshots below...

The 18.05 gets to Meaux at 18.33. You would have 11 minutes to get one back, which is at Est at 19.09. If it's on time... It's about 10 - 15 minutes on foot from Est to Nord ( and no faster if you try the Metro the one stop on account of the passageways ) which would put you at Nord at 19.25. Your check in would close 15 minutes later.

Unless you can get your booking transferred to the 21.13, I would not risk it. It's far too tight.

Will still be a little way off, but the regional government has signed a deal on 11th July for more 'Francilien' units for services out of Paris St Lazare - this will replace the current loco-hauled push-pull sets on the line J services out of Paris SL towards Mantes-la-Jolie. Already scepticism and concern about level of comfort and capacity offered by these new units v. what they are replacing.

Source: transportrail blog, all in French, hence no quotation: http://transportparis.canalblog.com/archives/2018/07/14/36556136.html

CC 72100 said:

Will still be a little way off, but the regional government has signed a deal on 11th July for more 'Francilien' units for services out of Paris St Lazare - this will replace the current loco-hauled push-pull sets on the line J services out of Paris SL towards Mantes-la-Jolie. Already scepticism and concern about level of comfort and capacity offered by these new units v. what they are replacing.

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Having been on many of them already, i would say the Z50000 are probably the best of all the new generation of suburban trains. They're not uncomfortable and they are very well designed inside and out.

Peter Mugridge said:

Having been on many of them already, i would say the Z50000 are probably the best of all the new generation of suburban trains. They're not uncomfortable and they are very well designed inside and out.

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I only used them when they were just coming in (2013-14) and thought they were ok, but not suited to some of the runs they will be going onto on, such as the Mantes via Conflans which is in excess of an hour and also out of Est towards Provins which is closer to 1 hour 30. Of course, some would say that on the Provins line they've been lucky for years with their regional spec AGC units being arguably "too nice" for suburban transport!

It will be interesting to see what user groups make of the personal safety with these trains being on the Mantes-la-Jolie line - on one hand, one long open train improves visibility, but at the same time it will also reduce the flexibility of locking vehicles out off peak to group passengers together (certainly in my time, the driving trailer vehicle often was unavailable for customer use) and avoiding the notorious country end vehicle which is regarded as not the place to go to for optimal personal safety!

I've used them between Meaux and Est, which is about 45 minutes on the stoppers and based on that I wouldn't object to being on one for over an hour.

So is the 18h05 -(and the corresponding morning working?) still BB67400+RIB? I'll be back in Paris on Monday and fancy a quick spin on either of them to/from Meaux if so..
Also, are the 2xdaily direct Montluçon's from Austerlitz still BB22200 / BB 67400 hauled to/from Bourges?

On an unrelated note, any of you guys know the best way to get from Maubeuge to Charleroi Sud Aeroport? I'm going for a flight out of there -(a necessary evil! ) on Wednesday and hope to take a BB22200+Corail set up there from Paris and then a bus instead of running up the LGV on a THA to Brussel and back down. TEC website suggests I take a bus to Mons, for a train to Charleroi and the bus to the airport, taking more than two hours, I'd have thought there would be a more direct route between the two? I read something a while ago about the border crossing reopening there for a possible new Namur-Paris service but it seems to have went quiet..?

As always, merci à tous!
Kris

Bonsoir de Paris Est!

Well, I can confirm that Transilien 17257 is still alive and well, loco hauled! Fret BB67478 is currently sitting here at the head of the train on voie 23, the stock arrived in very early tonight around 17h20.
I believe this train is now the last bastion of RIB/RIO operation in all of France?
Sad times...

Anyway, enjoy them while you can! I certainly am, off on the infamous Crouy-sur-Ourcq move now before my THA naar Brussel!!

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Please Explain said:

Bonsoir de Paris East!

Well, I can confirm that Transilien 17257 is still alive and well, loco hauled! Fret BB67478 is currently sitting here at the head of the train on voie 23, the stock arrived in very early tonight around 17h20.
I believe this train is now the last bastion of RIB/RIO operation in all of France?
Sad times...

Anyway, enjoy them while you can! I certainly am, off to on the infamous Crouy-sur-Ourcq move now before my THA to Brussel!!

View attachment 51649 View attachment 51649

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Top work - enjoy!

Well, I absolutely spoke too soon there!

As I waited by the head of the train and it got ever closer to departure time and no crew or any other pax showed up I began to worry that something was not quite right!
Indeed, I had been rather silly and just excited at the sight of the loco and RIB's, the platform screens were in fact blank!!
So I pulled out my phone and loaded up the SNCF app and discovered that the train was actually departing from voie 18! I quickly ran over there and found another set topped by nice old blue BB67511, boarded the basher compartment and enjoyed an hour of thrash et clag français! As expected, the train emptied after Meaux and I had the front coach to myself, barring one other passenger.
So what was Fret BB67478 doing on the other set on voie 23 back at Est?
Who knows, my first suspicions were that the 17h05 had reverted to loco+RIB and it had been caped and left there, the loco was still fired up and running when I left. When I got off at Crouy-sur-Ourcq though, I did notice another La Ferté-Milon departure listed flashing "RETARDÉ", but no departure time was listed, so I can only assume that it was the 17h05 and was delayed awaiting crew or something or other. On the way back in to Est I passed it arriving on the depot at Pantin, going through the wash so maybe both turns have temporarily gone back to loco+RIB operation???
Four other un-ID'ed class members were spotted on shed at Pantin too.

Now enjoying some Juplier amidst a power cut here in Brussel Noord!

Last I heard, there was one La Ferte Milon service, the Bourges-Montlucon, and the Paris - Bordeaux (from Amiens) services left in the hands of diesel loco and stock, and that's it!

Please Explain said:

Well, I absolutely spoke too soon there!


So what was Fret BB67478 doing on the other set on voie 23 back at Est?

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There has always been a spare set ready to cover failures at Paris Est.

Hence, back when there were two evening La Ferte Milon's one would see three loco sets each evening peak

DaiGog said:

Last I heard, there was one La Ferte Milon service, the Bourges-Montlucon, and the Paris - Bordeaux (from Amiens) services left in the hands of diesel loco and stock, and that's it!

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hmm Paris - Bordeaux via Amiens...


.

DaiGog said:

Last I heard, there was one La Ferte Milon service, the Bourges-Montlucon, and the Paris - Bordeaux (from Amiens) services left in the hands of diesel loco and stock, and that's it!

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plus Strasbourg 67400s

67522 worked the morning diagram into Est; just seen it arrive...

Gordon said:

hmm Paris - Bordeaux via Amiens...


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Sorry, of course that should have said Boulogne, not Bordeaux! Had forgotten about the Strasbourg 67400s so thanks for that.

DaiGog said:

Last I heard, there was one La Ferte Milon service, the Bourges-Montlucon, and the Paris - Bordeaux (from Amiens) services left in the hands of diesel loco and stock, and that's it!

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And the Briançon sleeper, operated with BB 75300s between Valence and Briançon

The 17.05 La Ferte Milon is hauled tonight; 67451 on it. Looks like both will be hauled tonight...

67522 for the 18.05 from the look of it.

Anyone been back over recently and seen both LFM hauled again like Peter seen on 05/09? I think I read someone post something similar on ERG about a month ago, while someone else posted that units showed up on both one night.

Any ideas what the state of play is down in Clermont-Ferrand these days? Can't believe its been almost two whole years since I went bashing down there. I'm guessing its all went over to karts now??

There have been reports on ERG that both Fertes have been hauled more often than not recently, including this week.

Frequent loco activity on La Ferte Milon recently - widely reported on ERG

Will have a look on ERG and scroll through the recent SNCF posts later tonight.
Another interesting development to keep an eye on once again..
If the 17h05 is indeed now hauled again, then more time to ride it all the way and visit that excellent pâtisserie in the village.
I'm already feeling like making yet another IdF bashing trip again soon...

As I've said before, you can check tomorrow's planned allocations via this official link: https://malignep.transilien.com/composition-des-trains-ligne-p/

As you can see, for 9th November both Ferté starters were 'long INOX' = 67400 on load 8 RIO/RIB.

I forgot all about your link to the ligne P official blog CC 72100, merci.

I seen a someone post on ERG a few days ago that the 17h05 was an AGC, and according to today's blog both of them are carts..!

I'm heading back across the channel tomorrow for yet another day on IdF rails on Friday, hopefully one of them will produce BB 67400 et RIB.
If not I think plan B will be the 17h36 / 18h36 Saint-Dizier while the TER Vallée de la Marne turns are still BB 15000 hauled. If I read the latest Épernay diagrams posted on ERG right, then it looks like there will be a dramatic reduction in BB 15000 hauled trains out of Est from the timetable change next week.. Wasn't this work solid loco-hauled up until just over a year ago..? Sad reflection of the times.
Interestingly though, it appears the Grand Est Sybics will gain some more work in the TT change as a new Paris-Strasbourg TER train pair is due to start operating, in addition to the current weekend Intercités 100% eco.

In other news, it appears that we will have the Intercités out of Nord to Boulogne-sur-Mer, Amiens, St Quentin and Maubeuge -(soon to become TER) to enjoy for a few more years now:

http://www.courrier-picard.fr/138955/article/2018-09-28/la-region-achete-19-rames-high-tech

I thought bimode R2N's had already been delivered and ready to take over from Corails on the Boulogne imminently?
TER Hauts-de-France is due to take over responsibility for these trains from the state as of 01/01/2019 .
This article also claims that m. Bertrand wants to reinstate the Boulogne's through to Calais Ville!
I really hope this does start next year or at least before carts take over to once again give the opertinity to enjoy BB 67400 haulage to/and from Calais, making through trips from London the old fashioned way easier.

Also, the time table change sees the reintroction of cross border services to from Maubeuge to Namur at last after ten plus years of the border crossing being closed to passenger trains, and they will be timed to connect with Intercités to/from Paris. Some sensible joined up thinking here which seems ever so rare for anything non-TGV in this day and age.
Le président de la région even says so himself in the article that not everyone is in a hurry or can afford to travel by Thalys.
Indeed good work.

So, for once it is not all doom and gloom!

Please Explain said:

I thought bimode R2N's had already been delivered and ready to take over from Corails on the Boulogne imminently

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The Regio 2N is an EMU.

Please Explain said:

Also, the time table change sees the reintroction of cross border services to from Maubeuge to Namur at last after ten plus years of the border crossing being closed to passenger trains, and they will be timed to connect with Intercités to/from Paris. Some sensible joined up thinking here which seems ever so rare for anything non-TGV in this day and age.

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I do not know when exactly the passenger trains stopped operating between Erquelinnes and Jeumont, but I can ensure you that they were still there in 2010, when I traveled from Charleroi to Algesiras, sans TGV, on the way to Morroco, and went precisely through this border point. So 10 years is a bit exaggerated.

TRAX said:

The Regio 2N is an EMU.

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I'm getting confused with all the new unit types, I like to come over here to enjoy REAL trains, plastic is plastic to me tbh!
So the coradia liner is the bi-mode train for Boulogne? Looking over that Courrier Picard article again it would seem that this is obviously a different EMU order for the Amiens / St Quentin / Maubeuge trains starting 2022/23. I read elsewhere that the Boulogne's will go over to carts next year sometime, so enjoy the diesels while you can.
Not a good morning here so far with IC 2008 cancelled and 2014 starting at Amiens due to: "equipment unavailable", loco failure?
Hopefully all will be well in a couple of hours and 2022 will run without incident...

MarcVD said:

I do not know when exactly the passenger trains stopped operating between Erquelinnes and Jeumont, but I can ensure you that they were still there in 2010, when I traveled from Charleroi to Algesiras, sans TGV, on the way to Morroco, and went precisely through this border point. So 10 years is a bit exaggerated.

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Bonjour Marc
I stand corrected, interesting to hear that, i didn't realise that it had closed in this decade.
Non-the-less, its great news that its reopening, albeit to a limited service initially and I look forward to taking a train through there to Namur next month if I get a chance on something more interesting than an AM96 hopefully!