LYON public transport authority Sytral Mobilités has signed a contract with Alstom worth over €300m to modernise Line D of the city’s metro system in central southeastern France.
The deal includes the supply of 26 new rubber-tyred metro trains, worth €145m, and the upgrade of the line’s Urbalis automatic control system, worth €158m. The delivery schedule for the rolling stock and systems has not been disclosed.
The new two-car MPL25 trains, which can each accommodate over 300 passengers, will be fully automated and compatible with the identical MPL16 trains deployed on Line B, enabling rolling stock to operate on both lines and in multiple to form four-car trains.
According to Alstom, the new trains are 96% recyclable and will feature panoramic windows, air-conditioning, LED lighting and passenger information screens, with wide entrances and interior gangways. They will be equipped with regenerative braking which will significantly reduce energy consumption when compared with the earlier MPL85 fleet.
The upgraded Urbalis communications-based train control (CBTC) system will improve reliability for the 300,000 passengers who use Line D each day, making it the busiest line on the city’s network.
Seven Alstom sites across France will be involved in the design and production of the new trains and automatic control system, with a project team based in the Lyon area.
The contract also includes upgrading the MPL85 fleet to operate with the new control system. The existing Line D maintenance and stabling depot at Le Thioley will be extended and upgraded for the MPL25 fleet.
“These modern, comfortable metro trains represent a considerable asset for improving the network and the passenger experience,” says Frédéric Wiscart, president of Alstom France.
“The upgrading of the automated control system on Line D, incorporating innovative control and cybersecurity technologies, meets the growing demand for more sustainable and smarter mobility.”
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