SNCF Z6400 class

[Peter Mugridge]

Ignore what was posted here; both my friend and I had our notes muddled up - it was of course Z6483 that was withdrawn in January.....

 

[notadriver]

Great trains

 

[Peter Mugridge]

Yes, they make lovely noises don't they?

 

[Myb]

Had the chance to travel on them daily. Best suburban stock IMO, along with the MS 61.

What makes them really nice is that the arrangements originally planned for 1st class were deployed in the whole train when 1st class was removed.

Another nice feature was the possibility to "force close" the doors which early-morning travellers would never fail to do on winter days!

I'm glad they are being replaced by equally good trains (even if they lack an auto door close!).

 

[notadriver]

One of the features I've never understood is why even the most modern RER trains don't have gangways - unless this has changed? I know the Z6400s don't. I suppose their English equivalent would be a class 315 which feels very old and slow by comparison.

 

[CC 72100]

One of the features I've never understood is why even the most modern RER trains don't have gangways - unless this has changed?

The most recent RER stock (MI09) doesn't have gangways for passenger use, although I believe that the doors at the end of the carriage can be opened by the French equivalent of a T-key (Une clé T? ) to allow staff to walk through the train.

Of course, the RER A can be seen as a sort of an 'express metro', certainly in the central core. Even at the extremities (Cergy in the West, MLV Chessy in the East) it's not that far away from Paris.


On the RER B , while the same situation exists (that the doors are not used by public), I have seen buskers moving between coaches by use of the gangway doors. To be fair though, on the RER B anything goes!


Thinking more outer suburban - so the Transilien lines, newer stock seems to have gangways for passenger use (B 82500) or are entirely walk through (2 50000). Even stuff like the double-deck suburban push pull sets (VB2N) has gangways, although the older single-deck RIO/RIB stock (gradually being phased out) doesn't.

Of course Z 25000 and derived stock doesn't have gangways, and operate on both the RER (C + D) as well as the Transilien network (lines P, R and U)
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Another nice feature was the possibility to "force close" the doors which early-morning travellers would never fail to do on winter days!

Sometimes I've had to 'force open' them :roll:

Agreed on MS61 appreciation.

 

[Myb]

Having a gangway on the MI 09 had been considered but no interior modifications (except the paint job) were made from the MI 2N for two reasons:
* It would have needed a new tender as it couldn't be considered as a continuation of the MI 2N order from a legal point of view ;
* Updated interiors would have had to comply with new stricter disability regulations - which it doesn't (the stairs are too steep).

Even if the MI 09 is a nice and reliable train, from a capacity point of view sourcing bi-level stock for the RER A was a mistake - such is the unfortunate impact of politics of demagogy.

By the way, the Z 20900 stock has a gangway between the central cars

On the more general remark of suburban stock having no gangways until very recently (Z 20900 in 2001), I have no idea why...

Sometimes I've had to 'force open' them

That happened when the 'balise' indicating which side of the track the platform is on would fail to communicate with the train.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

One of the features I've never understood is why even the most modern RER trains don't have gangways - unless this has changed? I know the Z6400s don't. I suppose their English equivalent would be a class 315 which feels very old and slow by comparison.

I've always considered the Z6400 to be the Paris equivalent of the 455...