Siemens Mobility and RATP (Régie autonome des transports Parisiens) have successfully modernised and extended the automated Line 14 of the Paris metro. This world premiere marks the first migration of an automated driverless (GoA4 – Grade of Automation) metro line to the latest generation GoA4 driverless automated system “Trainguard MT CBTC”.
The new system, which was implemented during the past six years during passenger services, enables more efficient and reliable services on the line that has doubled in length by 14 kilometers due to extensions to the North and South.
With a remarkable headway of 85 seconds along its entire 28 km route, Line 14 is now the longest line in the Paris network and will eventually accommodate over one million passengers daily.
The expansion enables passengers to travel from Orly Airport to Paris city center in 20 minutes and from the northern business districts in Saint-Denis Pleyel to Orly Airport in just 40 minutes.
With its improved capacity, reliability, and efficiency, Line 14 serves as the backbone of Paris’ public transportation system, connecting to the future Grand Paris Express network. Over six years, more than 250 Siemens Mobility engineers contributed to this project, with over 500,000 hours of engineering.
“Through the dedication and expertise of our teams, we achieved a world first by migrating an existing driverless line to a more advanced CBTC GoA4 system and extending the automated technology to the line’s new sections. This technical premiere enables Line 14 to handle up to one million passengers a day with 85-second headways by 2025,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility. “The timely completion of this crucial metro project for this summer’s world sports event hosted in Paris highlights the immense time pressure and collaborative efforts involved. We are grateful to our valued partners at RATP for their trust and unwavering support, without which this accomplishment would not have been possible.”
[#ProlongementNordLigne14] Toutes les équipes #RATP sont fières d’accueillir les premiers clients à Mairie de Saint-Ouen #Ligne14 👏 pic.twitter.com/ITfOhKQNeG
— Ligne 14 (@Ligne14_RATP) December 14, 2020
Paris metro Line 14: A Pioneer in automation
Back in 1998, Siemens Mobility teamed up with RATP to create the first driverless high-capacity automated metro line in Paris. In 2018, Siemens Mobility was awarded contracts to overhaul the line’s automation, replacing the 26-year-old “METEOR” system with the advanced Trainguard MT CBTC GoA4 system. This upgrade included building a new Operations Centralized Control Station (OCC) and equipping 72 new trains.
Siemens extended automation north to Saint-Denis-Pleyel and south to Orly Airport by 14 kilometers, doubling the line’s length to 28 km and thus required the installation of a newer version of GoA4 technology; it now connects Orly airport to the Paris city center in just 20 minutes and enables travel from Saint-Denis Pleyel to Orly in only 40 minutes.
Siemens Mobility’s GoA4 CBTC system will also equip the future lines of the Grand Paris Express, the new 200-kilometer automatic metro network currently under construction in the Ile-de-France region. Siemens Mobility has won the contract to automate lines 15, 16, and 17.
Trainguard MT CBTC system
The Trainguard MT CBTC system is Siemens Mobility’s leading high-performance CBTC solution that enables operators to maximise their network capacity by putting more trains on track, in addition to improving reliability and energy consumption.
The radio-based technology precisely locates each train on the tracks and controls speed, improving safety for passengers, while also providing the ability for continuous updates on system status, that results in fewer delays and up-to-date travel information.
The Trainguard MT CBTC is part of Siemens Mobility´s CBTC portfolio, which is deployed on five continents, 25 countries, 49 cities, 56 customers, 96 metro lines, 3,000 km of lines and 4,351 equipped trains.
Alstom MP14 rubber-tyred trains
Passengers can now travel from Saint-Denis Pleyel to Orly Airport in 40 minutes on MP14, Alstom’s new-generation rubber-tyred metro. Eventually, one million passengers are expected to use the line.
These MP14 metros have been delivered in accordance with the commitments made to RATP and Île-de-France Mobilités to ensure the opening of these extensions.
To achieve this objective, Alstom has implemented an unprecedented mobilisation plan. At the Valenciennes Petite-Forêt site, which is responsible for assembling the metro, a second production line has been opened and the workforce has been increased, with dedicated teams working evenings, weekends, and public holidays. All the other Alstom sites involved in the project also worked hard to deliver the train components (bogies, motors, traction, on-board electronics, safety IT, etc.) on a timely manner and to the expected quality level. In total, more than 1,000 Alstom employees at 7 sites in France worked to deliver this project with great success.
This commitment and investment have resulted in an unprecedented industrial output for such a complex metro, with the production of almost one MP14 trainset per week for lines 4, 11 and 14. At the Le Creusot site, up to 15 bogies are produced every week for the MP14 project.
“I would like to pay tribute to the exceptional work of our teams on the MP14 project, which will enable us to meet the mobility needs of millions of people living in the Greater Paris region. This success is the result of the unwavering commitment of our employees, who have deployed their expertise and know-how to design and deliver a high-quality product on a timely manner, so that we can meet the deadlines for these extensions,” emphasises Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom France.
Latest-generation trains
MP14 metro has been designed to improve the fluidity and capacity of the trains: the so called “boa” architecture (open intercirculation) allows passengers to move from one end of the train to the other, while the vast entrance areas provide accessibility for all passengers, with dedicated spaces and “boomerang”-shaped seats. Interior fittings and seating designed around the “alcove” theme create both a sense of conviviality and intimacy.
MP14 also features LED lighting that is effectively distributed throughout the metro to give a sense of security and eliminate any areas of shadow. The support points enhance comfort within the train. Warm and cooled ventilation increases the feeling of well-being, whatever the season. MP14 is also equipped with a video-protection system throughout the metro and offers dynamic passenger information on board.
MP14’s electric braking system recovers energy and feeds it back into the network in the form of electricity. This system, combined with LED lighting and a high-performance motor, reduces the energy consumption by almost 20%[1]. MP14 is also 40% quieter1 and has a 95% recyclability rate. The interior fittings are modular. This means it can be upgraded throughout its lifetime. Likewise, MP14 is equipped with a fully computerised safety control system with the highest level of safety, giving it modularity and upgradability, while facilitating maintainability.
Key figures for MP14
- 131 trainsets ordered for lines 4, 11 and 14, with over 100 metros delivered and in service to date
- More than 10 million km covered by MP14 metros on the Greater Paris network
- 3 configurations: 8 cars without driver’s cab (Line 14), 6 cars without driver’s cab (Line 4) or 5 cars with driver’s cab (Line 11)
- Nearly 20% reduction in energy consumption1
- 95% recyclable
- 40% quieter (inside the metro)1
- Up to 100% electric braking, with the added benefit of mechanical braking
- Designed in France and manufactured at 7 of Alstom’s 16 sites in France
Key MP14 figures for Line 14
- 72 metros ordered, financed to the level of €1.13 billion by Île-de-France Mobilités and operated by RATP
- Per train
- 8 cars and no driver’s cab
- 120 m long (15 m per car), the longest metro in service in France
- 184 fixed seats, 76 folding seats, 2 wheelchair spaces
- 60 USB sockets
- 32 dynamic passenger information screens
- 16 surveillance cameras
Seven of Alstom’s 16 sites in France are involved in the design and manufacture of MP14: Valenciennes Petite-Forêt for studies, integration, validation, and testing; Le Creusot for bogies; Ornans for motors; Tarbes for traction; Villeurbanne for on-board electronics; Aix-en-Provence for safety IT and Saint-Ouen for design.
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