Daily life

Punctuality on RATP network

Bus, tram, metro and RER network punctuality and regularity are our passengers’ main concerns. Our operations teams strive to maintain service quality throughout the network, which takes high priority in the multi-year contract with Île-de-France Mobilités (the transport authority for Île-de-France).

Each month the punctuality statistics of RATP and its entire public transport network are published by Île-de-France Mobilités to keep passengers updated about its performance. Here is a quick guide to understanding these figures.

How is punctuality measured?

Punctuality and regularity of public transport services across Île-de-France are measured using different indicators depending on the network and time of day.

  • In the metro

The indicator varies depending on the time of day.

For peak times (7:30 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.), this is measured as kilometre production, which relates directly to train frequency. For example, the reference range between two trains is 85 seconds on metro line 14 (42 trains per hour), and 100 seconds on metro line 13 (36 trains per hour). The contract sets, per line, a production target of 96.5% during peak times.

During off-peak times, waiting time is measured against the service promise set in the contract. This varies depending on the metro line and time period: for example, in the middle of the morning, this is 4 minutes on metro line 14 and 5 minutes on metro line 6. After 9 p.m., it is 8 minutes on most lines. To calculate the regularity rate, the number of passengers who waited longer than the promised time (according to station usage data) is correlated to the total number of passengers.

  • On the RER

On RER suburban lines A and B, for which RATP also has a kilometre production target that varies according to peak and off-peak times, punctuality is measured by comparing the number of passengers who experienced more than a five-minute delay with the official journey time. This is measured the same way all along the line. This therefore involves a “shared responsibility” as both RATP and SNCF operate the RER lines A and B.

With 1.2 million passengers per day, a minimum interval of 2 minutes between two trains and an operational margin of just 10 seconds, the slightest disruption can affect the regularity of public transport.

In addition to occasional technical incidents, longer than planned stopping time on occasion in stations is a daily factor that can disrupt transport services; to ensure optimal service, trains must run at regular intervals and respect the maximum stopping time of 50 seconds in all stations on the central section. This time is calculated to allow passengers to board and alight trains safely, and takes into account the fact that trains transport 2,500 people. Stopping time in excess of 50 seconds disrupts the entire line.

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