THE first completed MI20 EMU for RER Line B in Paris was unveiled at the Alstom works at Crespin in northern France on May 7, a major milestone in the production of the 146 trains ordered for €2.5bn and funded by Île-de-France Mobility (IdFM), the public transport authority for the Greater Paris region.
IdFM president, Valérie Pécresse, witnessed the first test train move under its own power. She was accompanied by Xavier Piechaczyk, CEO of Paris public transport operator RATP; SNCF Passenger CEO, Christophe Fanichet; Alstom CEO, Martin Sion; and Javier Iriarte, CEO, rolling stock, at CAF.
The MI20 is being built by a consortium of Alstom and CAF, confirmed as preferred bidder for the contract in 2021. RER Line B operators RATP and SNCF Passenger had selected a consortium of Bombardier and CAF in 2020, with unsuccessful bidder Alstom launching a series of legal challenges that came to an end following its acquisition of Bombardier.
A total of 10 trains are currently in production. Following initial delays, IdFM says that the delivery schedule had been tightened, with Alstom and CAF prioritising MI20 production in order to ensure that the first train is in operation at the end of 2028.
At 104m, the seven-car MI20 is the same length as the MI79 and MI84 EMUs currently operating on RER Line B that it will replace. Through its combination of wider single and double-deck cars, the MI20 can accommodate up to 1063 passengers, an increase of 35%. Total seating capacity is increased by 22% to 342, and there are four wheelchair spaces per train.
The MI20 has 14 doors per side to accelerate boarding and alighting, reducing station dwell times, and features 100% level boarding. The interior combines seating in double-deck cars for longer journeys with areas for shorter metro-style journeys, fitted with longitudinal seating and handrails for standing passengers.
Carrying 1 million passengers a day, RER Line B runs thorough the centre of Paris to connect Charles de Gaulle Airport and Mitry-Claye to the north of the capital with Robinson and Saint-Rémy-Lès-Chevreuse in the south. The new fleet forms part of a wider €5bn investment programme running beyond 2030 that includes the creation of unified control centre for RER lines B and D, as well as the installation of Altom NExTEO CBTC on both lines.
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