Designed by Alstom and 100% financed by Île-de-France Mobilités, these 8-carriage trains are 120 metres long (compared with the current 90 metres) to cope with the growth in traffic on line 14, which should rise from 500,000 journeys/day currently to 1 million journeys/day in 2024. This automatic line will then be the busiest line on the Île-de-France metro network.
The backbone of Grand Paris Express, line 14 will structure the future automatic metro network. RATP is proud to offer Île-de-France Mobilités and Paris-region residents a service with the highest standards in the world with this high-capacity automatic metro line. The line, which will accommodate 1 million passengers/day in 2024, can run a train every 85 seconds during rush hour, using expertise unmatched anywhere in the world.
This new metro train offers more comfort for passengers, with interior noise reduced by 40%, more ergonomic seating and information on board enhanced with displays and dynamic line maps. The MP14, the first metro train to comply with the accessibility order of July 2019, will also offer, in its 8-carriage version, 48 spaces for persons with reduced mobility and 2 spaces for wheelchair users.
The rolling stock will also reduce train energy consumption by 17% (compared with the latest generation MP05 train) through electric braking with energy recovery, more efficient motors and lighting provided entirely by LEDs.
The commissioning of this new-generation metro train will take place in stages. Only one train will operate until the opening of the extension to Mairie de Saint-Ouen (scheduled for mid-December). In total, 72 new trains will be delivered over the next four years on line 14 and its extensions.
During the 2020-2022 transition period, when both 8- and 6-carriage trains will operate together, temporary signage will be provided on the platform-edge doors and information displays, so that passengers can position themselves in the right place on platforms.
MP14 rolling stock will also equip metro line 4 from 2021 (in the 6-carriage automatic version) and metro line 11 from 2023 (in the 5-carriage version with driver’s cab), at a total cost of more than €2bn for the acquisition of up to 217 trains, fully financed by Île-de-France Mobilités (112 trains already contracted).
A new maintenance site to accommodate 120m-long trains
Located in Saint-Ouen, the RATP maintenance workshop has been configured to maintain, clean and garage 8-carriage trains. This is also where the trains are assembled, with the new carriages being delivered one by one.
A new-generation metro
- 8 carriages
- 48 spaces for persons with reduced mobility
- 2 spaces for wheelchair users per train
- 17% reduction in energy consumption (compared with the MP05)
Why is it called the MP14?
This is the engineers’ abbreviation for Matériel Pneumatique (rubber-tyred rolling stock, to distinguish it from steel-wheeled trains) for which the design was finalised in 2014.
Preparing metro line 14 for 8-carriage trains
Since 2015, RATP has been working on upgrading the parts of line 14 already in operation to prepare for the arrival of the new rolling stock. This includes:
- work to adapt stations to accommodate new passenger flows generated by trains with higher capacity and the future extensions of line 14: creation of new entrances, additional emergency exits, renewal of fire safety equipment, etc.
- work to adapt railway systems for longer trains: signalling, power supply, automatic driving, platform-edge doors, etc.
In total, overnight work has taken place on nearly 2,500 sites over three years.