Siemens Mobility and Thales to Deliver Signaling System for Grand Paris Express Future Metro Lines

The Société du Grand Paris has awarded the Siemens Mobility and Thales consortium with the delivery of the Automated Train Control system that uses wireless Communications-Based Train Control (CBTC) technology and the Operating Control Centers for the future new lines 15, 16 and 17, which will be completed by 2030. Siemens Mobility will design and implement the most advanced generation of its CBTC fully automated technology. It will complete the integration of the entire transportation system. Thales will design and implement the Operating Control Centers (centralized supervision of train traffic, energy systems, auxiliary equipment and digital information systems), as well as trackside equipment and a secure communication network.

“Siemens Mobility is committed to providing our customers with the latest in digitalization that make infrastructure intelligent, guarantee availability, and increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle and we are confident that the Grand Paris Express will derive these benefits from Siemens Mobility’s CBTC technology. The fully automated technology will help ensure that passengers using one of Europe’s busiest metros benefit from this most intelligent system,” said Michael Peter, CEO of Siemens Mobility.

“As a leader in supervisory systems for transportation, Thales will bring all its expertise and its potential for innovation to this project, which will revolutionize transport in the Paris region and is the only project of its kind in Europe. Our latest generation of integrated Operating Control Centers based on a state-of-the-art digital platform, combined with the cybersecurity expertise of the Thales Group, will enable operators to run metros safely and efficiently while guaranteeing the best possible passenger experience,” said Millar Crawford, Thales executive vice-president for Ground Transportation Systems.

The Grand Paris Express is a mass transit project of unprecedented scope and importance in France. It aims to address major transportation challenges: to enable residents of the Greater Paris area to travel more swiftly and efficiently, connect urban territories that have little access to public mass transit today and create new opportunities for economic growth in the Greater Paris area, and thus in France.

The Grand Paris Express includes the creation of four new automatic metro lines around Paris (15, 16, 17 and 18) as well as an extension and upgrade of line 14 to the north and south of Paris, to the Orly airport. The Grand Paris Express will connect to the existing mass transit network. It will serve the major business areas (airports, business centers, research centers and universities) and metropolitan areas that are currently difficult to access.

In 2030, line 15, with 75 km of track and 36 new stations, will enable passengers to reach Saint-Denis, to the north, and Villejuif, to the south, by passing through Nanterre/La Défense to the west or through Rosny and Champigny to the east. With 50 km of track and 14 new stations, lines 16 and 17 will enable passengers from Saint-Denis/Pleyel to reach the eastern points to Noisy-Champs or the north up to the Roissy ˗˗ Charles de Gaulle airport, while bypassing downtown Paris.

Twelve construction and commissioning phases are planned throughout the contract. The first one will be completed in 2024, and the others by 2030.