Paris’ CDG Express: French concessionaire appointed

Although public transport between Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport and the city is adequate, with journey times of 30-40 minutes on the suburban RER rail line that operates directly from the airport, it does not compare well with, say, the forthcoming (2019) Elizabeth line or the Heathrow Express in London, which offers a journey time of only 15 minutes.

With the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris on the horizon, a decision was taken several years ago in favour of the 'CDG Express', to have a journey time of around 20 minutes over a distance of 32 km. Now a consortium has been selected to operate it.

There are numerous political overtones to this deal, from the selection of an entirely French partnership to the fact that it has been given the green light, not by the Transport Ministry but by the Environmental one.