France: Following the results of the tender, the Paris public transport administration, RATP, has placed an order with the Swiss manufacturer for 12 locomotives powered by third rail and batteries. The contract includes an option for another two vehicles.
The locomotives are stated to be able to haul trains of up to 120 t at a speed of 40 km/h. They will also be used for the infrastructure maintenance. Authorised to operate during track possessions as well as in parallel with regular metro services, the new vehicles will serve RATP’s entire network of 14 lines, including fully automated ones.
Since 2027, these machines are expected to complement an existing fleet of 28 special-purpose electric locomotives, produced between 1985 and 2005 by French Alstom and CFD (acquired by CAF in 2008).
It is worth noting, that a comparable contract for the supply of hybrid locomotives was signed with CAF back in 2017. However, the Spanish manufacturer has delayed the delivery for five years already. The first vehicle from this order is now being certified.
