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PARIS

The Paris Metro and RER closures in August you need to know

A month of discontent, delays and disruption is in store for anyone using the Metro or RER services in Paris this August, as the capital steps up preparations for next year's Olympics.

Published: 2 June 2023 16:29 CEST
Updated: 1 August 2023 10:17 CEST
The Paris Metro and RER closures in August you need to know
Expect plenty of travel disruption in Paris this summer. (Photo by STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / AFP)

Line closures and maintenance delays are routine in Paris in the summer, when passenger numbers are down because many people are away on holiday. But the amount of work is higher than normal this year, with improvements planned on almost every major line in and out of the capital.

Nine metro lines, as well as three tramways, will be affected throughout the summer, with the schedules for certain major routes like the RER commuter train system set to also be disrupted.

Here’s what we know about line closures in the coming weeks in AUgust:

Metro

Line 4 

No service between August 12th and 17th from Porte-de-Clignancourt to Barbès-Rochechouart. 

Line 5

No service until August 11th between the stations Gare-du-Nord and République.

Line 9

The entirety of Line 9 will be closed on September 3rd.

Line 11 

Closed on the following Sunday, August 27th, for work on the extension to Rosny-sous-Bois. The line will also close at 10pm every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday until the end of September. 

Line 12

Closed from August 2nd to 8th between the stations Front-Populaire and Jules-Joffrin.

Line 13

The Porte-de-Saint-Ouen station will be closed from until August 18th. 

Line 14

Until August 11th, no services will run on the entirety of the line.

Tramways

Line T2

From August 12th to 27th, the tram will not run between Pont-de-Bezons and La Défense.

From August 12th to 18th, traffic will also be halted between Porte-de-Versailles and Issy-Val-de-Seine.

Line T3A

Until August 11th, traffic will be halted between Porte-d’Italie and Porte de Vincennes.

RER A

Europe’s busiest railway line will be closed from Nation and Val-de-Fontenay and Fontenay-sous-Bois stations from August 9th to 18th; and between Cergy-le-Haut and Conflans-Fin-d’Oise stations from August 5th to 20th.

RER B North

The line will be closed between Gare-du-Nord and Mitry-Claye on August 12th, 13th and 14th. 

On September 23rd and 24th, the section between Aulnay-sous-Bois and Mitry-Claye will not be served.

Replacement buses will be in operation, but users are warned to expect delays.

RER B South

The station Bagneux will remain closed until August 27th.

Between Fontaine-Michalon and Massy-Palaiseau, from August 5th to August 20th, traffic will be halted to carry out modernisation work on the Chartres and Gallardon bridges. 

All trains will terminate at Fontaine-Michalon and Massy-Palaiseau. A replacement bus will serve Massy-Palaiseau, Massy-Verrières, Les Baconnets and Fontaine-Michalon stations.

Until August 4th, traffic will be interrupted to allow completion of the Massy-Valenton-Ouest project between La Croix de Berny and Massy-Palaiseau, and to continue work on the Chartres and Gallardon bridges. 

All trains will terminate at La Croix-de-Berny and Massy-Palaiseau. A shuttle bus will serve the remaining stations.

The branch between Bourg-la-Reine and Robinson will be closed until August 26th. All trains will terminate at Bourg-la-Reine. Substitutions will be made at Bourg-la-Reine, Sceaux, Fontenay-aux-Roses and Robinson stations.

RER C

The Austerlitz – Javel – Henri-Martin section will be closed until August 26th.

No trains will run between Massy and Pont-de-Rungis, either, during the replacement of the Gallardon rail bridge in Massy, and for the Massy southern rail bypass project.

RER D

Disruption can be expected on weekends, until August 26th, in particular on morning / early afternoon trains going into Paris (until 2:55pm); and for the other direction (leaving Paris) after 3pm.

RER E

The Challes-Gournay station and Vaires-Torcy stations will experience several disruptions.

From August 5th to 6th, the Challes-Gournay will closure (in both directions), and neither will the Vaires-Torcy station (for those going towards Paris).

The same will go for August 11th to 12th, as well as August 19th to 20th, and finally August 26th to 27th.

Transilien

Line H

From August 5th to 6th traffic will not run between Ermont-Eaubonne and Valmondois; as well as Pontoise and Persan-Beaumont.

Line J

There will be several disruptions on this line. Until August 13th, traffic will be interrupted between  Épône-Mézières and Mantes-la-Jolie. 

From August 5th to 6th, August 19th to 20th, and 26th to 27th, trains will not run between Les-Mureaux and Mantes-la-Jolie.

From August 12th to 13th, August 19th to 20th, and August 26th to 27th, traffic will not run between Paris Saint-Lazare and Saint Cloud – Garches – Marnes-la-Coquette.

Line L

From August 5th to 20th, traffic will not run between Maisons-Laffitte and Cergy-le-Haut.

Line P

Until August 13th, traffic will be halted between Plaisir-Grignon and Mantes-la-Jolie.

Until August 27th, traffic will be halted between Meaux and La-Ferté-Milon.

And until August 27th, the Nangis station will be closed.

Line U

Traffic between La Défense and Suresnes will be halted three times – from August 12th to 13th; August 19th to 20th; and finally August 26th to 27th.

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For members

TRAVEL NEWS

Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

The EU's new Entry & Exit System (EES) of enhanced passport controls is due to come into force later this year, but among many questions that remain is the situation for non-EU nationals who live in the EU or Schengen zone.

Published: 27 April 2024 07:59 CEST
Reader question: What will EES mean for foreigners living in Europe?

Currently scheduled to start in autumn 2024 (unless it’s delayed again, which is not unlikely) the EU’s new Entry & Exit System is basically an enhanced passport check at external EU borders, including a facial scan and fingerprinting.

You can find a full explanation of the new system HERE.

Travellers crossing an external EU or Schengen border for the first time will be required to complete EES ‘pre-registration’ formalities including that facial scan and fingerprinting.

There are, however, several groups exempt from EES and one of them is non-EU nationals who have a residency permit or long-stay visa for an EU country.

So if you’re a foreigner living in the EU or Schengen zone, here’s what you need to know.

Exempt

One of the stated aims of EES is to tighten up enforcement of over-staying – IE, people who stay longer than 90 days in every 180 without a visa, or those who overstay the limits of their visa.

Obviously these limits do not apply to non-EU nationals who are resident in the EU or Schengen zone, which is why this group is exempt from EES checks. They will instead be required to show their passport and residency permit/visa when crossing a border, just as they do now.

In its explanations of how EES will work, the European Commission is clear – exempt groups include non-EU residents of the Bloc.

A Commission spokesman told The Local: “Non-EU citizens residing in the EU are not in the scope of the EES and will not be subject to pre-enrollment of data in the EES via self-service systems. The use of automation remains under the responsibility of the Member States and its availability in border crossing points is not mandatory.

“When crossing the borders, holders of EU residence permits should be able to present to the border authorities their valid travel documents and residence permits.”

How this will work

How this will work on the ground, however, is a lot less clear.

Most ports/airports/terminals have two passport queues – EU and non-EU. It remains unclear whether the non-EU queue will have a separate section for those who are exempt from EES.

It does seem clear that exempt groups will not be able to use the automated passport scanners – since those cannot scan additional documents like residency permits – but should instead use manned passport booths. However it is not clear whether these will be available at all airports/ports/terminals or how non-EU residents of the EU will be directed to those services.

There’s also the issue that individual border guards are not always clear on the processes and rules for non-EU residents of the EU – even under the current system it’s relatively commonly for EU residents to have their passports incorrectly stamped or be given incorrect information about passport stamping by border guards.

Brits in particular will remember the immediate post-Brexit period when the processes as described by the EU and national authorities frequently did not match what was happening on the ground.

The Local will continue to try and get answers on these questions. 

READ ALSO What will EES mean for dual nationals

What if I live in the EU but I don’t have a visa/residency permit?

For most non-EU citizens, having either a visa or a residency permit is obligatory in order to be legally resident.

However, there is one exception: UK citizens who were legally resident in the EU prior to the end of the Brexit transition period and who live in one of the “declaratory” countries where getting a post-Brexit residency card was optional, rather than compulsory. Declaratory countries include Germany and Italy.

Although it is legal for people in this situation to live in those countries without a residency permit, authorities already advise people to get one in order to avoid confusion/hassle/delays at the border. Although EES does not change any rules relating to residency or travel, it seems likely that it will be more hassle to travel without a residency card than it is now.

Our advice? Things are going to be chaotic enough, getting a residency permit seems likely to save you a considerable amount of hassle.

Delays 

Although residents of the EU do not need to complete EES formalities, they will be affected if the new system causes long queues or delays at the border.

Several countries have expressed worries about this, with the UK-France border a particular cause for concern.

READ ALSO Travellers could face ’14 hours queues’ at UK-France border

Where does it apply?

EES is about external EU/Schengen borders, so does not apply if you are travelling within the Schengen zone – eg taking the train from France to Germany or flying from Spain to Sweden.

Ireland and Cyprus, despite being in the EU, are not in the Schengen zone so will not be using EES, they will continue to stamp passports manually.

Norway, Switzerland and Iceland – countries that are in the Schengen zone but not in the EU – will be using EES.

The full list of countries using EES is: Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

Therefore a journey between any of the countries listed above will not be covered by EES.

However a journey in or out of any of those countries from a country not listed above will be covered by EES.

You can find our full Q&A on EES HERE.

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