MI 2N
MI 2N (Matériel d'Interconnexion à 2 Niveaux in French, literally Double-decker Interconnection Rolling Stock) is a type of double-deck electric multiple unit running on the French RER rail network, built by GEC/Alstom and ANF (now Bombardier France). Part of Alstom's X'Trapolis family of urban trains, there are two generations of these units, the first of which entered service in 1998.
The first generation trains are operated by both the SNCF and RATP. Even though each operators' units look very similar, they are in fact different, and are designated with different names in each company:
- RATP Altéo / Class Z 1500, operated on the RER A line. Forty-three trains or 215 cars were built.
- SNCF Class Z 22500, operated on the RER E line. 53 trains or 265 cars were built.
Another difference between the two in the interior is that the MI2N has prerecorded station announcements and an electronic strip map, while the Class Z 22500 does not.
The second generation trains, the MI 09, were ordered by the RATP in 2009 and have been in used on RER A since 2011.
In January 2019, RATP announced that it had awarded a €121·3m contract, to refurbish the 43 trains it owns, to the Spanish rolling stock manufacturer CAF. They will enter service in 2020.