The Voiture de banlieue à 2 niveaux (), shortened to VB2N, is a type of
double-deck passenger railcar used on
Transilien
Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail and tram-train network operated by SNCF and serving ÃŽle-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of lines
Transilien Line H, H, Transilie ...
, the
commuter rail
Commuter rail or suburban rail is a Passenger train, passenger rail service that primarily operates within a metropolitan area, connecting Commuting, commuters to a Central business district, central city from adjacent suburbs or commuter town ...
network in the
ÃŽle-de-France
The ÃŽle-de-France (; ; ) is the most populous of the eighteen regions of France, with an official estimated population of 12,271,794 residents on 1 January 2023. Centered on the capital Paris, it is located in the north-central part of the cou ...
region of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
The cars are unpowered and designed to be paired with an electric locomotive.
The coaches, built from 1974, are the successors of the
Chemins de Fer de l'État's 1933 built
Voiture État à 2 étages. They are currently in use on
Line J of the Transilien network. They were previously used on
RER lines
C and
D, Transilien lines
H and
K as well as services between
Gare de l'Est
The Gare de l'Est (; English: "Station of the East" or "East station"), officially Paris Est, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It is located in the 10th arrondissement, not far southeast from the Ga ...
and
Tournan station
Tournan station () is a hub in the French transport network enabling travellers to reach the region around Tournan-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne, Ile-de-France). This place provides an easy connection to other forms of road transport. It is a railway s ...
, which became the
RER E
RER E is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris and its suburbs. The line travels between western and eastern suburbs, with all ...
.
Since 2012, the VB 2N trains have been shifted from busier RER and Transilien lines to less busy routes on Transilien network as new equipment comes online, most notably the single-level
Z 50000 and double-deck
Regio 2N
The Regio 2N is family of a Bilevel rail car, double-deck, Multi-system (rail), dual-voltage electric multiple unit trainsets built for France, French rail operator SNCF to serve its regional rail routes (Transport express régional, TER, Transil ...
(Z 57000) trainsets. The VB 2N trains are scheduled to be retired.
Description
The VB 2Ns are designed to be used in
push-pull mode, although the cars are not powered, there is a
control car
A control car, cab car (North America), control trailer, or driving trailer (UK, Ireland, Australia and India) is a non-powered rail vehicle from which a train can be operated. As dedicated vehicles or regular passenger cars, they have one or t ...
at one end of the train so that the
locomotive
A locomotive is a rail transport, rail vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. Traditionally, locomotives pulled trains from the front. However, Push–pull train, push–pull operation has become common, and in the pursuit for ...
does not have to run around its train at the terminus.
Passenger space is divided in two levels. Each end of coach is a vestibule from which two separate sets of stairs lead to the upper and lower-decks. The walkway and seating on the lower deck is situated below platform level to gain space and avoid unnecessary height. The upper-deck is relatively spacious as height is restricted although adults may walk standing up.
All coaches have toilets apart from both end carriages.
Next stop is announced vocally and visually.
Speed is limited to .
Retirement
The VB 2N equipment was retired starting in 2019, as
Île-de-France Mobilités
Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM) is the governmental authority ( EPA) that controls and coordinates the different companies operating the Paris-area public transport network and the rest of the Île-de-France region. In this capacity, it issu ...
and
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...
replaced them with newer equipment. Since early 2019, the VB 2N trains on the
Transilien Line J
Transilien Paris-Saint-Lazare is one of the sectors in the Paris Transilien suburban rail network. The trains on this sector depart from Gare Saint-Lazare in central Paris and serve the north and north-west of ÃŽle-de-France region with Transilien ...
are gradually being replaced by the
Z 50000 "Francilian" single-level
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number o ...
(EMU) trainsets. Starting in 2021, the VB 2N trains on the
Transilien Line N
Transilien Line N is a railway line of the Paris Transilien suburban rail network operated by the SNCF. The trains on this line travel between Gare Montparnasse in Paris and the west of ÃŽle-de-France region, with termini in Rambouillet, Dreux ...
are scheduled to be replaced by new
Regio 2N
The Regio 2N is family of a Bilevel rail car, double-deck, Multi-system (rail), dual-voltage electric multiple unit trainsets built for France, French rail operator SNCF to serve its regional rail routes (Transport express régional, TER, Transil ...
(Z 57000) double-deck EMU trainsets. Additionally, starting in 2022, some of the Transilien Line J traffic between Paris and Mantes-la-Jolie will be shifted to an extension of the RER E line which will be equipped with Z 58000 "
RER NG" double-deck EMU trainsets.
Derivatives

Two other series of French trainsets were derived from the VB 2N:
* Voiture Omnibus à 2 Niveaux (VO 2N): used on
TER (regional express train) routes in the
Centre-Val de Loire
Centre-Val de Loire (; ,In isolation, ''Centre'' is pronounced . ) or Centre Region (, ), as it was known until 2015, is one of the eighteen Regions of France, administrative regions of France. It straddles the middle Loire Valley in the interior ...
,
Hauts-de-France
Hauts-de-France (; ; ), also referred to in English as Upper France, is the northernmost region of France, created by the territorial reform of French regions in 2014, from a merger of Nord-Pas-de-Calais and Picardy. Its prefecture is Lille. ...
and
Normandie regions.
* Voiture Régionale à 2 Niveaux (VR 2N): used on TER routes in the
Nord-Pas-De-Calais
Nord-Pas-de-Calais (; ; West Flemish: ''Nôord-Nauw van Kales'') was a former regions of France, administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new Regions of France, region Hauts-de-France. It consisted of the ...
region.
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Voiture De Banlieue A 2 Niveaux
SNCF coaching stock
Double-decker rail vehicles