Direct express train between Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) and Paris planned for 2023

The French Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier has announced the estimated date for launching a new express train link between Paris city centre and Charles de Gaulle Airport. The long awaited direct train - the CDG Express is expected to start operating in 2023.

The 1.7 billion euro investment requires a construction of 8 km of new tracks to connect the airport to the 32 km of already existing network, renovation of its major structures and construction of new bridges and tunnels over the CDG Airport runways. The works are scheduled to start in 2017.

CDG Express route - cost of ticket
The new line will link the terminals of Paris CDG Airport to Paris l’Est (Gare de l’Est), which offers access to Paris metro.

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CDG Express non-stop train is planned to circulate every 15 minutes, from 5 am to midnight. The expected journey time is 20 minutes, which is a significant improvement to the already existing commuter train solutions.

The price of one-way CDG Express trip has been set at 24 euro.

RER and TGV trains at Charles de Gaulle Airport
The present suburban train link between Charles de Gaulle Airport and the city centre is operated by RER Line B, with 28 daily trains, running as often as every 15 minutes during peak hours. This line known to be overcrowded and struggling with many technical difficulties can hardly cater for the needs of over 60 million passengers passing through the airport every year, a number expected to double within next ten years.

The travel time between Charles de Gaulle Airport and Paris city centre on a RER train is approx 40 minutes.

Charles de Gaulle Airport is also connected to the speed-train TGV network which allows quick access to major cities across France- amongst them Marseille, Lyon, Lille or the Disneyworld park – not to Paris, however, as the TGV line bypasses the city centre.

See map of Paris train network. 

Read more about Paris CDG Airport transportation solutions in a related article.

The fare for one-way trip between CDG Airport and Paris city centre is nearly 10 euros. For comparison, the average price for a taxi between Paris and Charles de Gaulle Airport is 60 euros (prices for 2014).

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