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

  • Intelligent intersection control
    April 12, 2013
    Intelligent intersection control systems have a growing role to play in making urban traffic more efficient. Robin Meczes reports. The idea of every traffic light turning green as you approach it has long been a dream for many an urban driver – and none more so than those driving heavy goods vehicles (HGVs), which are slow and difficult to bring to a halt and then accelerate back to normal travel speed. But that dream has become a reality for some drivers in a small number of cities around Europe in the las
  • Øresund bridges the front line for border crossing traffic
    September 15, 2016
    Timothy Compston considers the challenges faced by the operators of the Øresund Bridge between Denmark and Sweden, the largest structure of its kind across Europe. In light of the concerns about the ongoing security threat and the unprecedented flow of migrants, many of the countries that make up the Schengen Area in Europe have re-introduced border controls. For its part, Sweden has rolled out ID checks for train, bus and ferry passengers from Denmark placing the landmark Øresund Bridge very much on the fr
  • Mobility as a Service gaining traction in US and Europe
    December 15, 2015
    As Mobility as a Service starts to move into the mainstream of transport planning, David Crawford compares European and North American initiatives. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept fast gaining traction on both sides of the Atlantic as a way of giving travellers digital multimodal one-stop shops and journey planning tools as an alternative to private car use. Planned delivery methods include subscription-based travel packages in Europe, and 'mobility aggregator' apps, including employee commute ben
  • Free-flow upgrade to Holland's Westerschelde tunnel's toll system
    February 1, 2012
    Unbroken service Technolution's Winifred Roggekamp and Dave Marples describe efforts to upgrade the Westerscheldetunnel's tolling system to give free-flow capability. Until 2003 the Flanders region of Zeeland, in the south-west of the Netherlands, was connected to the mainland only by ferry. The new Westerscheldetunnel, a 6.6km toll tunnel, improves communications with the region considerably, taking some 100km off the alternative road journey. In 2006 it was recognised that the toll plaza for the tunnel ne