The announcement by the President of the French Republic that he intends to develop metropolitan express networks in the 10 largest French cities by November 2022 has put the spotlight back on the structuring urban rail networks currently under consideration in France. Several French metropolises have invested in projects to reactivate lines or increase the density of rail services: Bordeaux, Lille and Strasbourg are just a few examples. These areas are working to develop a network of rail lines to serve as the backbone of the public transport network, particularly for links between suburban areas and metropolitan centers.
In view of the diversity of the regions, the large number of projects and the urgent need to develop solutions to open up certain peri-urban areas, rail cannot be the only answer to the mobility challenges facing French metropolises. Furthermore, the heterogeneous nature of the rail network and the prohibitive cost of refurbishing certain sections of track mean that alternative solutions need to be developed. Road transport, and in particular express coach services (high service level coaches), have a role to play in complementing rail services to link the various centres that make up a metropolitan area that currently lacks an efficient public transport system.
The new law on metropolitan regional express services (SERM) takes express bus lines into a new dimension: these services are now not only essential complements to rail RERs, but become strategic pillars in their own right in the implementation of integrated, sustainable mobility. Express lines by road provide a response to the challenges of democratizing alternative mobility to the car, particularly for medium- and long-distance commuting.
Recent studies carried out by TTK (on behalf of Île-de-France Mobilités (IdFM) and Nouvelle-Aquitaine Mobilités (NAM)) have highlighted the essential role of the express road lines. These services can meet three major objectives:
- The first is to provide direct, fast and efficient links between regional hubs, particularly for origin-destination services that cannot be reached by train, but for which there is a strong demand for travel.
- These services should also open up less densely populated areas with smaller, more dispersed travel flows, through efficient multimodal feeder services to express bus stops.
- Finally, by connecting express bus lines to rail stations and to the metropolitan area's main transport network, attractive feeder solutions are created that create a strong multimodal "network" effect.
All these functions multiply the number of attractive point-to-point connections, improving the accessibility of the metropolitan area for all its inhabitants, even those furthest from the main hub.
In conclusion, express buses, as dynamic elements that complement other modes of transport, contribute to mobility that is less car-dependent. Their speed and connectivity to the rail network, the core urban network and alternatives to the private car (in particular car-sharing and cycling) make express buses a powerful instrument for shaping more efficient and inclusive transport systems.