Keolis Awarded the New Automated Rapid Transit Transport System for Shanghai Pudong International Airport

Oct. 24, 2017
Keolis, through its Chinese joint-venture Shanghai Keolis, has been awarded its second metro contract in China to operate and maintain the Rapid Transit Transport System of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

Keolis, through its Chinese joint-venture Shanghai Keolis, has been awarded its second metro contract in China to operate and maintain the Rapid Transit Transport System of the Shanghai Pudong International Airport.

The new line is expected to open in June 2019 and will connect two existing terminals (T1 and T2) to two new terminals (S1 and S2).

This new contract reinforces Keolis’ presence in China to better address its growing urban mobility needs and enhances its reputation as a pioneer and world leader in automated metro operations and maintenance.

The second metro project in China for Keolis

Keolis’ Chinese joint venture, Shanghai Keolis1 has recently been awarded a new 20-year contract to operate and maintain the new Communications Based Train Control (CBTC) automated metro system of the Shanghai International Airport, which will connect the existing terminals (T1 and T2) to the future satellite terminals (S1 and S2) from June 2019. This is the second automated metro project awarded to Keolis in China.

With an average of 60 million passengers per year, Shanghai International Airport decided to extend Pudong International Airport to increase its capacity to 80 million travelers per year, and to build a metro line that would connect all four terminals. The new line — whose daily ridership is expected to be 250,000 passengers — will be 7.8 kilometers long and operate all day. It will be equipped with CBTC technology, which enables operations at higher frequencies and speeds in total safety - with or without a driver. In the case of the Pudong airport line, this metro will have a driver on-board (GoA22 operation). The service headway at peak hours will be 4 to 5 minutes during off-peak hours. Built by the Chinese manufacturer CRRC, the metro trainsets are 94 meters long.

Present in China since 2014, the group continues to progressively develop its integration and understanding of local mobility needs in the country. This new metro project is viewed as symbolic for Keolis as it develops its ties with China.

Keolis currently manages 4 automated metro networks in France and abroad:

  • Lille metro, the world’s first fully automated metro GoA4 launched in 1983 (France),
  • Lyon metro Line D, the world’s first full automated CBTC metro GoA4 launched in 1991 (France),
  • Rennes metro Line A. Keolis will also operate the new line B, expected to be launched by 2020 (France),
  • Docklands Light Railway (DLR) automated metro network in London (United Kingdom).

By the end of 2017, Keolis will launch the CBTC automated Hyderabad metro in India, one of the longest aerial metros in the world, as well as the CBTC fully automated Shanghai metro line 8, phase 3 in China.

Bernard Tabary, Keolis CEO International said “We are delighted to have been awarded the Pudong International contract, which in addition to reinforcing our reliability as a partner to Chinese authorities, confirms Keolis’ worldwide expertise in automated and CBTC metro operations”.