Skip to main content

Siemens to equip Line 4 of Paris Metro for driverless operation

Siemens received an order from the Paris public transport operator RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) to equip the 27 stations of Paris Metro the twelve kilometre Line 4 with signalling and operations control systems. Siemens will supply its Trainguard MT automatic train control system that uses communications-based technology to achieve fully automatic, driverless operation. All train movements will be supervised via the operation control centre, which will also be supplied by Siemens. Spec
January 12, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
189 Siemens received an order from the Paris public transport operator RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens) to equip the 27 stations of Paris Metro the twelve kilometre Line 4 with signalling and operations control systems.

Siemens will supply its Trainguard MT automatic train control system that uses communications-based technology to achieve fully automatic, driverless operation. All train movements will be supervised via the operation control centre, which will also be supplied by Siemens. Special doors at the platforms will ensure additional safety at all 27 metro stations.

With around 700,000 passengers a day, Line 4 of the Paris Metro is one of the most frequented sections of the whole Paris mass transit network and the most important north-south metro link in the city. On its way through France's capital it stops at three major long-distance railway stations and is also the only line with transfer terminals to all 16 other mass transit lines.

"Automatic operation will enable Line 4 to offer a service interval of 85 seconds. At the same time, the automatic control will allow to reduce energy consumption by up to 15 percent," says Jochen Eickholt, CEO of Siemens Mobility. The order is worth around US$76 million. Work on the line is scheduled for completion in 2022.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • USDoT looks at the costs and potential benefits of connected vehicles
    October 26, 2017
    David Crawford looks at latest lessons learned from the trials of connected vehicles in the US. The progress of connected vehicle (CV) technologies takes centre stage among the hot topics highlighted in the September 2017 edition – the first since 2014 – of the ‘ITS Benefits, Costs and Lessons Learned’ survey from the US ITS Joint Program Office (JPO). The organisation is an arm of the US Department of Transportation (USDoT).
  • Nissan and Enel launch vehicle-to-grid project in the UK
    May 12, 2016
    Automotive manufacturer Nissan and multinational power company Enel are to launch a major vehicle-to-grid (V2G) trial in the UK, which will see one hundred V2G units installed and connected at locations agreed by private and fleet owners of the Nissan LEAF and e-NV200 electric van. By giving Nissan electric vehicle owners the ability to plug their vehicles into the V2G system, owners will have the flexibility and power to sell stored energy from their vehicle battery back to the National Grid. The annou
  • On-demand is Denver’s command
    March 6, 2017
    While demand responsive transit overcomes many problems, it has been too expensive to provide for the general public but Denver believes it may have found a solution. Cost-efficiently meeting fluctuating passenger levels within available resources can prove a serious challenge for general publicoriented demand responsive transit. There is growing US interest in this mode - as distinct from the already established use of demand responsive transit for specialised needs, such as paratransit for the disabled –
  • Thales installs signalling technology for Ottawa line extension
    June 26, 2019
    Thales is to provide its SelTrac Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) system for the City of Ottawa’s Stage 2 O-Train Confederation Line Extension project in Canada. Thales says the line will take 780,000 annual rush-hour bus trips off the road and will carry up to 24,000 customers per hour. Once complete, it will run from Trim Road and west to Baseline Road and Moodie Drive across 29 stations spanning a distance of 40km. The CBTC moves block signalling technologies to actively manage the track in r