PARIS public transport operator RATP has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply a new train control system for metro Line 13. The upgrade will enable fully automated driverless operation at Grade of Automation 4 (GoA4) in order to increase capacity, improve reliability and optimise energy consumption.

Under the contract, the value of which was not disclosed, Siemens will supply CBTC-based ATO as well as onboard equipment and upgrade the operations control centre for Line 13. The project is due for completion by late 2032, and the contract includes staff training as well as an optional maintenance agreement running for up to 30 years.

The 24km Line 13 is one of the busiest lines on the RATP network, serving 32 stations and carrying over 550,000 passengers a day. It runs from Châtillon-Montrouge in the southwest inner suburbs via the mainline termini at Montparnasse and Saint-Lazare to La Fourche. Here it separates into two branches, one running northwards to Les Courtilles and the other to Saint-Denis-Université.

The Line 13 upgrade will begin in 2027 with the introduction of a new train fleet supplied by Alstom, and will followed by upgrading the current GoA2 ATO system, where the driver controls the train doors and safety functions, to fully-automated GoA4. This will enable the train service to be adjusted according to passenger demand, deploying additional trains as required. The new system will also enable passenger information to be provided onboard in real time.

Siemens was previously involved in the projects to convert lines 1 and 4 of the Paris metro network to driverless operation. It also upgraded the train control system on the driverless Line 14 as part of the extension to Orly Airport, enabling up to 1 million passengers to be carried a day by services operating at headways as low as 1min 25sec.

“With Line 14, we achieved a world first by upgrading an existing driverless system to advanced CBTC GoA4 technology while simultaneously extending automation to new sections of the line,” says Marc Ludwig, CEO of Siemens Mobility Rail Infrastructure.

“With Line 13, we're building on this expertise, upgrading one of the busiest lines in Paris to fully automatic operation.”