Français
The metro of the 21st century
RATP was one of the world's most important underground railway network operators in the 20th century. And it intends to remain so in the 21st century.
Its experts are working with partners from all spheres as part of the M21 research programme to develop the metro of the 21st century. The challenges we face today are as much social as they are technical or economic.
A wider view of transport
The metro of the 21st century will be much more than a simple transport system. It is not just a question of meeting the challenges posed by urban congestion, network saturation and limited public resources. Increasing transport capacity is necessary, but is not in itself sufficient. Urban mobility systems have to take into account the changing habits and expectations of today’s society, such as telecommuting, advances in mobile internet technology, sustainable development and new individual behaviours. Consideration must be given to the new competition from less powerful modes of transport such as the tram or the bicycle, as well as from other forms of mobility (Twitter, Google, etc.).
The M21 programme
What does the metro need to do to meet the challenges of the new century? What expertise is required to design it? In order to find the right answers for its markets in France and abroad, RATP has launched the M21 action research programme on the metro of the 21st century, in association with the Centre de Gestion Scientifique at Mines Paris Tech.
The project brings together RATP experts from all sectors (operations, engineering, architecture, finance, project management, institutional relations, marketing, forward planning, sustainable development, etc.), as well as businesses from other sectors (EDF, GDF-Suez, Lagardère Group, SFR, La Poste, Renault, FNAC, Air Liquide, Macif, etc.), local authorities (Paris City Council), cultural organisations (Cité des Sciences, Le Laboratoire, etc.), experts, etc.
The goal is to identify possibilities for innovation, other than those aimed at increasing power or automating systems. Four fields of innovation are concerned:
- Passenger services: Internet-style social interaction;
- Interchanges: working towards integration in the city;
- Sustainable development: improving energy intensity and the quality of city life;
- New business models: drawing inspiration from models used in other business sectors to enhance functionality.
The originality of M21 lies in the fact that it brings together players from a wide variety of fields to work on a concept of urban mobility that allows all those involved to address their own strategic issues.
