FRANCE: Métropole Européenne de Lille has awarded Siemens Mobility a contract to supply 57 VAL 208 NG3 rubber-tyred automated light metro trainsets for use on Line 2.
The contract announced by MEL on October 17 is worth €445·7m excluding taxes. It was awarded through a negotiated procedure, because the trainsets need to be compatible with the line’s control system which was supplied by Matra, subsequently acquired by Siemens Mobility.
The first of the new trains are expected to arrive by 2028. They will replace 30 existing VAL 206 trainsets, and increase the overall fleet by 27 trains.
MEL said they will offer better accessibility, lower energy consumption and greater comfort and safety than the current trains, including meeting enhanced fire safety standards. The interior layout has been redesigned to optimise space, and increased digitalisation will facilitate maintenance.
Metro fleet modernisation
The Lille metro currently has 143 trainsets of three generations:
- 38 VAL 206 A from 1983;
- 45 VAL 206 B BIS from 1986;
- 60 VAL 208 AG (first generation) from 1999.
The VAL 206 trainsets were modernised in 2006-10 to extended their service life to 40 years or 3·5 million km, and are now reaching the end of their lives.
MEL has previously ordered 42 Alstom trains for use on Line 1. This will enable the VAL 208 trains on Line 1 to be transferred to Line 2 from February 2026, supporting plans to improve the frequency of Line 2 services to increase capacity by 30%.
