The future Grand Paris Express network will enlarge the Paris metro network
The Société du Grand Paris (SGP) has awarded a consortium of Siemens Mobility and Thales with the delivery of the automated train control system for the Grand Paris Express project.
This project, the largest for metro construction in Europe, comprises the future fully automated lines 15, 16 and 17 in the Paris suburbs. These lines will have a total of 125 kilometers of tracks and 50 stations. They are to be served by 159 passenger trains and 27 work trains.
Under the €360m contract, Siemens will design and implement the communications-based train control (CBTC) system and Thales will design and implement the operating control centers, as well as trackside equipment and a secure communication network.
Twelve construction and commissioning phases are planned throughout the contract. The first one will be completed in 2024 and the others by 2030. The contract also includes associated maintenance services for 30 years.
Thales will also provide onboard systems for the Grand Paris Express including passenger information systems and CCTV cameras. The latter will include video protection with smart real-time decision support tools relying on artificial intelligence, to automatically detect, for example, a passenger remaining on board a train returning to the depot.
Thales will also provide automatic passenger counters to inform operators in real time about the number of riders in each train so that train frequency can be adjusted to match usage.
On 20 September, the Société du Grand Paris awarded the contract for the rolling stock for lines 15, 16 and 17 to Alstom.
Besides four new automatic metro lines around Paris (15, 16, 17 and 18), the Grand Paris Express project includes the extension and upgrade of line 14 to the north and south of Paris, to Orly airport. The network will serve major business areas (airports, business centers, research centers and universities) and metropolitan areas that are currently difficult to access.
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