SNCF Class Z 22500

Z 22500 MI 2N "Eole"
Class Z 22500 "MI 2N Eole" at Gare de l'Est
In service	1998–present
Manufacturer	GEC Alsthom and Bombardier
Family name	X'Trapolis
Constructed	1997–2000
Entered service	1997–present
Number in service	53 trainsets (265 cars)
Successor	RER NG
Formation	5 cars per trainset (DT+MC+T+MC+DT) and before 4 cars per trainset (DT+MC+MC+DT)
Fleet numbers	Z 22501/2 to Z 22605/6
Capacity	1,337 passengers
Operator(s)	SNCF
Depot(s)	Noisy-le-sec
Line(s) served
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel
Train length	112 m (367 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Width	2.9 m (9 ft 6+1⁄8 in)
Height	4.32 m (14 ft 2+1⁄8 in)
Doors	3 pairs per side, per car
Maximum speed	140 km/h (87 mph)
Weight	277T per trainset
Traction system	GEC Alsthom GTO CSI
Traction motors	4 FXA 3561 B asynchronous, 550V, force ventilated, 8
Power output	3,200 kW (4,300 hp) (continuous)
Electric system(s)	1.5 kV DC or 25 kV AC overhead catenary
Current collection method	Pantograph (type AX 25)
UIC classification	M: Bo′Bo′ T/DT: 2′2′
Safety system(s)	Crocodile, EAS and KVB
Coupling system	Scharfenberg type
Multiple working	2x Z 22500 trainsets (regular service)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The SNCF Class Z 22500, also known as the MI 2N "Eole" or MI 2N (French: Matériel d'Interconnexion à 2 Niveaux, Est Ouest Liaison Express, English: two-level interconnection rolling stock for the east west express link) is a double-deck, dual-voltage electric multiple unit trainset that is operated on line E of the Réseau Express Régional (RER), a hybrid suburban commuter and rapid transit system serving Paris and its Île-de-France suburbs. The trains are SNCFs version of the MI 2N and looks similar to the other variant, the MI 2N "Altéo" trains (operated by the RATP) but each features different motorization and interior layout.

The 53 five-car trains were built by a consortium of French manufacturer Alstom (then known as GEC Alsthom) and Canadian conglomerate Bombardier. The final assembly of the trains was performed at Alstom's Valenciennes factory and Bombardier's Crespin factory between 1997 and 2000.

History[]

By the end of the 1980s, the RER A line had become the busiest in the system and the busiest single rail line outside of East Asia.^[1][2] Overcrowding on the RER A was already the main transport problem in the greater Paris area. To address this issue, several projects were launched: the SNCF started construction of the Est Ouest Liaison Express (EOLE; English: east west express link) which would later be known as the RER E line, while the RATP started construction of the Paris Métro Line 14, both of which would both parallel the RER A in central Paris.

At about the same time, the RATP also began investigating using double-deck trains on the RER A. Double-deck trains, like the Z 2N series (Class Z 5600 and Class Z 8800) were already in use on suburban SNCF networks and could carry up to 2,600 people per train, compared to 1,887 people on the single-deck MS 61 trains that had been used on the RER A since it opened.

That left the RATP looking for new equipment for the RER A at the same time as SNCF needed to purchase equipment for the soon to open RER E line, so in 1989 they decided to team up and issue a call for tenders. In November 1992, they placed an order for 17 MI 2N trainsets from a consortium of French manufacturer Alstom (at the time known as GEC Alsthom) and Canadian conglomerate Bombardier. The MI 2N would be based on the design of SNCF's Class Z 20500 trains being built by the same consortium for RER C and RER D lines, but with modifications to make them better suited to the busy RER A line, most notably three wide doors on each side of the cars (the Z 20500 only had two).^[3]

The RATP version of the trains for the RER A would be called the MI 2N "Altéo", and the SNCF version for the RER E would be called the Class Z 22500, also known as the MI 2N "Eole" (after the EOLE name of the RER E during construction). The two trains look very similar from the outside, but the Class Z 22500 would only have two motors (the Altéo would feature three motors per trainset for faster acceleration) and would eliminate the stairs to the upper deck to the center vestibule adding 22 additional seats per train (the Altéo kept the stairs to speed the movement of passengers at stations).^[3]

A pre-production train was delivered on 10 March 1996 for joint testing by both RATP and SNCF. The Z 22500 trains were put into revenue service on the Paris-Saint-Lazare with only 4 cars per trainsets because of the short platform of Saint-Lazare station and Paris - Est network of Transilien trains from September 1998 to June 1999.^[4] The Z 22500 trains were transferred to the RER E before its opening in July 1999, where they have been in service since.

Photo gallery[]

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  Interior, mid-deck showing stairs to upper and lower decks

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  Interior, mid-deck showing more floor space than in a MI 2N "Altéo" due to the lack of equipment enclosures

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  Interior, mid-deck area designated for wheelchair users adjacent to operators compartment

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  Interior, upper deck

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  Iinterior, upper deck showing additional seating compared to MI 2N "Altéo" because of the eliminated stairs

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  Interior, lower deck

References[]

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