FRANCE: On behalf of Île-de-France transport authority STIF and Société du Grand Paris, on January 30 Paris public transport operator RATP awarded Alstom a 15-year framework contract potentially worth more than €2bn for the supply up to 217 MP14 rubber-tyred metro trainsets.
An initial firm order worth around €500m covers 35 eight-car trains for Line 14. This is expected to be followed by a second order for up to 37 trains to support planned extensions of the line. Further options would cover trains for lines 1, 4, 6, and 11 and the Grand Paris programme which groups lines 15 to 18.
Alstom said the MP14 would offer ‘an unprecedented level of comfort’, with ergonomic seating, LED lighting, rapid boarding and alighting, CCTV and on-board information systems including inductive loops for the hard of hearing. Regenerative braking is expect to reduce energy consumption by up to 20%, and reduced air pollution from brake pads.
This contract has ‘mobilised the entire French rail industry around a product that is innovative, efficient and competitive’, said Alstom Transport President Henri Poupart-Lafarge. ‘Passengers will appreciate its comfort and reliability.’
The majority of Alstom Transport's 12 sites in France will be involved in the project: Valenciennes (research and integration); Le Creusot (bogies); Ornans (motors); Villeurbanne (electronics); Aix-en-Provence (security system); Tarbes (traction equipment); Reichshoffen (collision avoidance research) and Saint-Ouen (design).
