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SNCF Réseau and the RC² consortium – ETF, TSO Caténaires (lead contractor), SETEC Ferroviaire and Mobility – have signed a contract to upgrade the overhead lines on RER line C between Paris and Brétigny for the period 2017-2024.

As part of the Île-de-France Investment Master Plan, SNCF Réseau is undertaking a major regeneration process for the infrastructure of RER line C, the second longest line in the Île-de-France regional express network. 180 km of catenary systems will be renewed from the south of the Bibliothèque François-Mitterrand station to the south of Brétigny. This operation is 100% financed by SNCF Réseau.

In order to meet the growing demands on its infrastructure, SNCF Réseau is equipping RER line C with a high-performance catenary system capable of absorbing the increase in traffic over the next 20 years and allowing temperature variations of up to 70 degrees, compared with 40 degrees today.

This first outsourcing of catenary renewal operations comes at a time when the number of passengers and trains is constantly increasing: +3% passengers on average per year, nearly 7% in the first half of 2016 alone.

Thanks to the design-build contract, the consortium, which represents the excellence of the French railway industry, will be able to develop tools and methods tailored to the specific characteristics of the Île-de-France region.