FRANCE: As part of an ongoing renewal of the city’s metro network, Lyon’s Line D is to be resignalled and re-equipped under a €300m agreement announced by Alstom on July 30.
Line D is regarded as the world’s first large-profile fully automated metro line. It opened in 1991 using the Maggaly train control technology supplied by Matra. Today, the 13 km line is used by 300 000 passengers per day, making it the busiest route on transport authority Sytral Mobilités’ four-line metro network.
The contract to renew the line is split into two parts, covering signalling and rolling stock.
The €158m train control package will see the automation equipment wholly replaced by Alstom’s Urbalis CBTC, matching the equipment already installed on Line B. The company says this will increase capacity on the line and facilitate more energy efficient operation; while Line D is driverless, there are no platform screen doors fitted at stations.
On the rolling stock side, Alstom is to supply 26 MPL25 two-car Metropolis trainsets which will be technically identical to the MPL16 trainsets that Alstom has supplied for Line B. These will feature large windows, refrigerated ventilation system, LED lighting and passenger information screens. The trains are 96% recyclable, with a focus on accessibility, including large entrance areas with space for people with reduced mobility, wide corridors and doors and open gangways between the cars. Each two-car set can accommodate more than 300 passengers.
They are equipped with a 100% rheostatic braking system that recovers energy and feeds it back into the network, while limiting the fine particles emitted by mechanical braking components. They will be able to operate in pairs to provide four-car formations, as well as being interoperable with the trains used on Line B. This should simplify depot access and fleet availability, Alstom says.
The trains will incorporate enhanced protection against cyberattacks, in line with the new European regulations.
‘Alstom is delighted with this new order from Sytral Mobilités’, said Frédéric Wiscart, President of Alstom France. ‘These modern, comfortable metros represent a considerable asset for improving the network and the passenger experience. The renovation of the automated driving system on Line D, incorporating innovative control and cybersecurity technologies, meets the growing demand for more sustainable and smarter mobility.’
