RATP puts its new generation of metros into service

On Monday, RATP commissioned the first latest-generation train set – longer, quieter and more energy-efficient equipment – on metro line 14, two months before its extension to Saint-Ouen (Seine -St Denis).

The new automatic subways have eight cars, against six for the current equipment, reaching 120 meters long, a record in France. As the new trains coexist with the old ones, passengers are now asked to check the length of the train before it arrives.

They were ordered from Alstom in 2015 with a view to the extension, expected in 2024, of line 14 at Saint-Denis in the north and at Orly airport in the south. From 550,000 travelers per day (before the coronavirus pandemic), attendance should then reach 1 million travelers per day.

A first section, up to the town hall of Saint-Ouen, must be put into service on December 14.

“Unclog line 13”

“The objective is with line 14 to relieve congestion on line 13 (the most congested in the network, editor’s note) and to have one of the most modern lines in the world”, noted Valérie Pécresse, the president of ‘Ile-de-France Mobilités, the regional authority which financed the new rolling stock.

“It will really change the face of the Paris metro. And to do that, you needed a magnificent train, ”she told reporters after the maiden voyage.

This new material, called MP14, will “be much more welcoming to travelers,” assured Catherine Guillouard, CEO of RATP. Air-conditioned and offering more places for people with reduced mobility, it is notably 40% less noisy and 17% less energy intensive than the previous generation.

The contract awarded to Alstom covers a maximum of 217 trainsets, for more than 2 billion euros, over fifteen years.

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For the moment, it concerns 72 eight-car trainsets for line 14, 20 six-car trainsets for line 4 – which is in the process of being extended and automated and should also recover the trains currently running on line 14– and 20 five-car trainsets, with driver, for line 11. A total of almost 1.5 billion euros in firm orders.

“A project like MP14 makes it possible to sustain production at eight Alstom sites in France and its suppliers until around 2026”, noted Henri Poupart-Lafarge, Chairman and CEO of Alstom.

(With AFP)