France: The three-car Metropolis trainset has recently arrived at the Palaiseau maintenance and storage site in the suburbs of the French capital.
Its trial operation will be carried out on Line 18, which is going to link Orly airport to Versailles. The line’s first section is to be launched in the fourth quarter of 2026, and the trains will run every 85 seconds at peak times.
The contract, signed by the manufacturer and the regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités in 2021, provides for the supply of up to 37 LRVs worth €230 mln, with the firm order including 15 trainsets. A total of six of Alstom’s French sites are mobilised to produce the vehicles, while the final assembly is performed at the Valenciennes plant.
Each 47 m three-car train can accommodate 350 passengers. Designed for a maximum speed of 100 km/h, it will operate at an average speed of 65 km/h. Reportedly, the new metro train contains 20% of recycled materials.
