SNCF Class Z 20900

Z 20900
A Z 20900 trainset operating on the RER C line at Neuilly – Porte Maillot station
In service	2001–present
Manufacturer	Alstom and Bombardier
Family name	Z 2N series
Constructed	1998–2004
Entered service	July 2001
Refurbished	2019–2023
Number in service	54 trainsets (216 cars)
Formation	4 cars per trainset
Fleet numbers	Z 20901/2 to 21007/8
Operators	SNCF Transilien
Depots	Les Ardoines
Lines served
Specifications
Car body construction	Stainless steel
Train length	103.508 m (339 ft 7.1 in)
Width	2.820 m (9 ft 3.0 in)
Height	4.32 m (14 ft 2 in)
Doors	2 pairs per side, per car
Maximum speed	140 km/h (87 mph)
Weight	288,000 kg (635,000 lb)
Traction system	Alstom 4 FXA 2858 ONIX IGBT VVVF (liquid cooled) asynchronous motors
Power output	3,464 kW (4,645 hp)
Acceleration	3 km/(h⋅s) (1.9 mph/s)
Deceleration	5 km/(h⋅s) (3.1 mph/s) (emergency brake)
Electric system(s)	1.5 kV DC or 25 kV AC overhead catenary
Current collector(s)	Pantograph
Braking system(s)	Electrodynamic
Safety system(s)	Crocodile, KVB
Coupling system	Scharfenberg type
Multiple working	Other Z 2N series trains (Z 5600, Z 8800, Z 20500, Z 20900)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge

The SNCF Class Z 20900 is a double-deck, dual-voltage electric multiple unit trainset that is operated on line C of the Réseau Express Régional (RER), a hybrid suburban commuter and rapid transit system serving Paris and its Île-de-France suburbs.

The 54 four-car trains were built by a consortium of French manufacturer Alstom and Canadian conglomerate Bombardier between 1998 and 2004. The first set was placed into regular passenger service in July 2001.

They are the final equipment produced as part of the Z 2N series of trainsets, which were continuously improved over several generations.

The introduction of the Z 20900 allowed for the oldest equipment on the RER C to be scrapped.

Description

SNCF ordered the Class Z 20900 at the end of 1998 to complete the rolling stock fleet of line C and to replace the last 42 Z 5300 units still in service. The design of 54 four-car trainsets would be based on the earlier Z 20500, but with improvements in motorization, more comfortable seats, the ability for passengers to move between cars, tinted windows, and air conditioning.

These new units were delivered from July 2001 to 2004. The arrival of the Z 20900 also allowed SNCF to eliminate the first sub-series of Z 6100 in the northern Paris suburbs.

The OniX traction motor was tested on unit Z 20887-20888, and is used on all trains of this series. The two power cars (ZBe) have 82 seats while the two trailer cars (ZRBe) each have 96, as well as a toilet.

As of 2020, all of the Z 20900 trainsets are assigned to the RER C line. 40 trainsets are in the Île-de-France Mobilités livery and the other 14 are in the navy blue Transilien livery.

Gallery

• 
  Z 20900 in the SNCF livery
• 
  Z 20900 in the navy blue Transilien livery
• 
  Z 20900 interior, upper deck (original)
• 
  Z 20900 interior, the mid-deck wide entry, and stairs to lower deck, as seen from the upper deck
• 
  Operators compartment
• 
  Z 20900 interior (refurbished)

References

• Redoutey, Denis (2007). Le matériel moteur de la SNCF. La vie du Rail. ISBN 978-2-915034-65-3.
• Bernard Collardey, Les trains de banlieue, tome II, Éd. La Vie du Rail, 1999, 335 p. ISBN 2902808763
• Le parc Z 20900, on metro-pole.net via web.archive.org, 1er janvier 2008(in french)
• Revue bimestrielle Voies Ferrées, Le matériel moteur de la SNCF, en plusieurs articles sur plusieurs numéros par année. (in french)
• Revue mensuelle Rail Passion, État trimestriel du matériel moteur SNCF, un article par trimestre. (in french)
• Lydie, « https://malignec.transilien.com/2017/10/24/sive/ » [archive], Le blog du RER C, 24 octobre 2017 (consulté le 3 novembre 2017).(in french)
• « https://www.cheminots.net/forum/topic/24494-z-5600-z-8800-z-20500-z-20900-z2n-sujet-officiel/page/82/?tab=comments#comment-821264 » [archive], sur Le web des cheminots , article du 22 avril 2018 (consulté le 24 avril 2018) : « La 1ère à sortir du Technicentre de Saint Pierre des Corps est la Z 20905/06 (203A). Cette dernière est ressortie avec la même livrée qu'une partie des Z2N de la ligne C, à base de rouge "carmillon" de la SNCF et "vif argent" du STIF ».(in french)
• Marc Carémantrant, « Les débuts des Z 20900 » dans Rail Passion no 51, septembre 2001, pp. 12 et 13.(in french)
• Bernard Collardey, Les trains de banlieue, tome II, p. 302.(in french)
• « https://www.cheminots.net/forum/topic/24494-z-5600-z-8800-z-20500-z-20900-z2n-sujet-officiel/page/82/ » [archive], sur Le Web des Cheminots (consulté le 11 juin 2018).(in french)