The work is progressing at the pace planned by the new timetable, even if opponents of the project demand that investments be devoted to the modernization of the RER B rather than to a train for the “rich” – the price of the one-way ticket to northern Paris airport will cost almost 25 euros.
A 2.2 billion euro project
However, a quarter of the budget (537 million euros) is devoted to modernizing the existing tracks, which will benefit the RER B. In total, the project will cost 2.2 billion euros, without public subsidy, even if the The State has granted a loan of 1.8 billion euros which will be reimbursed by CDG Express. It includes infrastructure works with 8 kilometers of new lines over 32 km. The management of the future line is split into two contracts, one for infrastructure, with SNCF Réseau, ADP and the Banque des Territoires (Caisse des Dépôts), and the other for operation, assigned to Hello Paris, a group owned 50-50 by Keolis and RATP Dev.
The State granted an extension of 30.2 million euros to the latter in order to compensate for the operating delay and inflation. The Hello Paris contract amounts to 200 million euros per year, for a period of fifteen years from commissioning.
Source: www.usinenouvelle.com
