On 19th December 2023, the French National Assembly approved plans to develop Metropolitan Regional Express Service (SERM) rail networks. In November 2022, French President Emanuel Macron revived the idea of developing SERM networks in ten major cities. Around 15 projects are already in various stages of development, and more are expected. The government also confirmed that Société de Grand Paris, the public body developing the automated metro network in the Paris region, will be renamed Société des Grands Projets and given the task of helping regional governments to develop and implement their SERM plans. The French state railway SNCF has already published a tender for up to 150 Electrical Multiple Units (EMUs) to be supplied for several SERM networks over the next ten years.
