“A colossal industrial challenge… A technological feat… A completely exceptional achievement…” Officials competed in superlatives, this Friday in the Denfert-Rochereau station, to salute the metamorphosis of line 4 of the metro (Porte de Clignancourt-Bagneux ) whose management was automated following nearly 10 years of studies and then work.
“There are very few companies in the world capable of automating existing lines,” said Jean Castex, CEO of RATP, recalling that the multiple works linked to automation (raising platforms, laying of a thousand platform screen doors, etc.) only led to a relatively limited number of closures of the line to users.
“It is only the RATP which is capable, today, of automating a line without closing it”, hastened to correct Valérie Pécresse, president of Île-de-France Mobilités (IDFM), l transport authority which financed the entire line 4 modernization operation.
“The minister that I am is here to send his congratulations,” added Christophe Béchu, Minister of Ecological Transition.
After the speeches, it’s time for the “inaugural voyage” to Châtelet.
The minister, Valérie Pécresse and Jean Castex made their way to the MP14 train which arrived at the platform - the most modern model among the 3 which now circulate on line 4 - followed by numerous representatives of the RATP and Siemens. (designer of the automatic pilot system), the City of Paris, the prefecture… and a swarm of cameramen.
Lines 7, 8 and 9 under study
An area commensurate with the importance of the automation project (which will have cost nearly half a billion euros, excluding the purchase of new trainsets) and the improvements it must bring to the operation of the line 4. On the RATP side, we recall that the automatic piloting of a metro makes it possible, among other things, to improve its regularity, to increase its carrying capacity (the minimum passage distance between 2 trains being reduced to 85 seconds compared to 120 seconds before automation), to restart traffic more quickly after an incident... or to reduce the energy consumption of trains by 25% thanks to optimization of driving speeds.
The completion of the long construction site of the 4 will, moreover, also make it possible to improve the operation of the “human” piloted lines to which the 300 drivers of the now automatic line are being redeployed.
“Automation is a very powerful tool,” summarizes Valérie Pécresse.
“We have seen its very positive effects on line 1 (Editor’s note: automated since 2013).
Today it displays a regularity rate of more than 100% which is a dream on other metro lines,” she insists, referring, without naming them, to several other lines in arrears whose regularity is now close. by 85%.
So many reasons which lead IDFM to consider other automation projects for existing lines.
The next one is already known.
This will be line 13, the most problematic on the network due to its chronic overcrowding.
The principle of its automation was voted on, the first study contracts were awarded last month and the president of IDFM estimates that work could begin there in 2025.
But given the complexity of the line (with the existence of branches in its northern part) and the impossibility of permanently closing the 13 during the work, automation will not occur, at best, before 2033. " Studies are underway to decide on the automation of three other lines: 7, 8 and 9. They should be completed in the coming weeks,” recalls Valérie Pécresse, who shows her desire to continue the automation projects .
“It’s long, it’s expensive.
But it works !
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