Grand Paris Express : Inauguration des rames de la ligne 18

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#Aiguillages @Societedesgrandsprojets

This is a Grand Paris Express line that could well have never existed and which, paradoxically, could be the one of the four new ones that will be put into service the fastest. The first two trains that will run on it have just been delivered. They are now at the Palaiseau Operations Center, where the Rolling Stock Maintenance and Storage Site is located . Their testing has just begun. They will initially be carried out inside the workshops, but very soon in the open air. These rolling stock have a clear family resemblance to those recently put into service on line 14 or delivered for line 15, but also a certain number of characteristics that distinguish them and therefore make them particularly interesting. What are they? This is what we will see in this new report. Hello and welcome to Aiguillages! Line 18 is initially intended to connect Orly Airport to Versailles-Chantiers station, serving the Massy-Palaiseau railway junction where the Transiliens of line V, the RER B and C, the T12 tramway, but also the TGV Inoui and OuiGo and other classic OuiGo trains departing for the west of France, the Saclay plateau on which is located a major technological and scientific center as well as the Paris-Saclay University, and the town of Saint-Quentin en Yvelines. If it was not guaranteed that it could exist one day, it is because its financing has long been debated, its economic viability often being questioned. For some, a high-level bus service or the extension of the VAL line from Orly would have been perfectly suitable, since much lower ridership is expected on line 18 than on the rest of the Grand Paris Express network. Other opponents of this project have put forward environmental arguments or would have preferred a fully underground route, but this one will be in the open air for 14 km, including 6.7 on a long viaduct that will connect Palaiseau station to the Saclay plateau. The trains that will run there have many points in common with those that will serve the other lines of the Grand Paris Express, but they also differ from them. As common points, they share the fact of being fully automatic and having opted for iron-on-iron rolling, which is innovative in France in this category. Indeed, the other automatic metro lines use rolling on tires. In Paris, this is the case for lines 1, 4 and 14. This choice is well suited to services involving very frequent stops, as it allows for faster braking or starting, but less so for high speeds due to their greater resistance to forward movement, which, incidentally, results in higher energy consumption and less comfort for passengers who feel more vibrations at high speed. However, on the Grand Paris Express network, the stations will be much further apart than the stations in the center of the capital: approximately 2.5 km compared to 500 meters in the city, and the average speeds there will be higher. Between 55 and 65 km/h with peaks of up to 110, where in the center of Paris, the average is rather below 30 km/h, with the exception of line 14 which manages to go up to 40. Another disadvantage of rubber-tyred metros is that they have a lower axle weight limit than rail-based metros, but the trains on lines 15, 16 and 17 of the Grand Paris Express will have more capacity and therefore be heavier due to their larger gauge: 2.80 m wide by 18 meters long instead of 2.40 m to 2.50 m depending on the model for 15 meters long. And this is where the trains on line 18 present a first difference. Due to the lower ridership expected, it was decided to opt for the same gauge as that of the metros operating on the capital’s historic lines. The trains will consist of three cars with a total length of 47 meters. They will be able to carry 350 passengers, including 88 seated. While they bear undeniable resemblance to those that will be put into service on the other three lines, they are once again distinguished by a few aesthetic details. Their nose was chosen by their future users, to whom Alstom offered three possible alternatives. The choice fell on the one with a large light signature framing a new type of windshield designed to offer a panoramic view at the ends of the train while optimizing the space inside. At the front, long white LEDs will illuminate it; at the rear, red ones, following the well-established principle of white headlights located at the front of moving railway vehicles, and red lights at the rear. Second difference: the power supply mode. Because part of the route will be in the open air, particularly on the large viaduct overlooking the Saclay plateau, it was decided, for aesthetic reasons, not to use the catenary, as will be the case on the other 3 lines, but to use a 3rd rail with reversed capture. The principle is that, rather than a shoe rubbing the top of this rail to capture the current, the friction will be from below. The upper part of the conductor rail can thus be protected or even covered, which limits the risk of electrocution if someone were to enter or fall onto the tracks. This arrangement also proves to be a better defense against bad weather and dead leaves that could have the idea of ​​disrupting the continuity of the power supply. Another innovation, at least for the Paris metro, is energy recovery. During acceleration, trains will draw electricity from the 3rd rail, but will produce it when braking. This generated current will be reinjected into the 3rd rail, the other trains running on the line being able to draw from it as needed. Third difference: the voltage used. In order to save on infrastructure, the power supply for line 18 will be 1,500 volts direct current instead of the 750 volts usually used on metro lines, and which will be in force on the 3 other new connections opened by the Grand Paris Express. This decision limits power losses on the line and therefore the number of electrical substations to be built. Following a series of calls for tenders, not only the design of the trains was entrusted to Alstom, but also that of all the systems enabling the operation of the line. This concerns the driving automation systems, as well as the signaling. Gone are the light signals or beacons installed along the tracks to transmit information to the trains: now, the trains communicate directly with each other, which allows for much higher performance. On line 18, the trains will be able to follow each other at an interval of 90 seconds and travel at an average speed of 65 km/h, but up to 100 km/h at top speed. The control center, part of the track and the 3rd rail were also designed by Alstom, which should lead to better system integration, the concern being that very often problems arise not from malfunctions of this or that device, but from the difficulty of getting them to communicate with each other when they were designed by different suppliers. As surprising as it may seem, this is the first time in Île-de-France that such a configuration has occurred. At least, if there are any glitches at start-up or in future operations , we will know who to contact! As for the passenger experience, we will now go inside a train to experience it. Since these metros will be running in the open air for a large part of their route, special care has been taken with the openings to the outside. The windows are large to let in as much outside light as possible and to enjoy the scenery. When natural light is not available in the tunnels or at night, LED lighting is used. intelligent system that will take over, adapting to the circadian rhythm, that is, the daily day-night cycle. The doors are wide, to allow better accessibility. There are three of them per side and per car. There are therefore 18 in total. The floor is low, spaces as well as seats are reserved for people with reduced mobility. They are indicated by the color red. Two PMR zones are provided at the ends of the trains. Others are adapted for travelers traveling with suitcases and designed not to block the space or circulation in the train. The seats have been studied by ergonomists. Some are face to face, others transverse. The space has been prioritized in order to allow the greatest possible fluidity. The intercirculations will also be designed to be a travel space, knowing that the line is quite straight, it should not be too unpleasant to park there for the duration of a journey. Currently in the testing phase, their exterior has not yet been installed. For owners of mobile phones or other tablets, Wi-Fi will be available on board and USB-C ports will be available. All of this equipment will be thoroughly tested before being put into service. As they arrive, the 15 trains that will eventually make up the fleet will have to undergo a whole battery of tests. First, statically, on the tracks of the storage and maintenance center, then manually running, probably starting this summer in the depot area. Starting in September, they should begin rolling out and be visible on the viaduct. The goal is to certify them by the end of the year. When the first section of the line enters service, scheduled for October 2026 between the Massy–Palaiseau and Christ de Saclay stations, 10 trains will be required. In 2027, with its first extension to Orly Airport, 15 trains will be required. Finally, this number will increase to 22 in 2030 with the full opening of the line. As I told you in the introduction, the paradox is that the last of the major lines of the Grand Paris Express, by its number, will perhaps ultimately be the first of the new lines to be put into service as early as October 2026, if of course the provisional schedule is respected, which, in the railway sector, as you probably know, is quite rarely the case. In any case, I suggest you follow this file in Aiguillages and, until a new report is posted online, I invite you to watch or rewatch this one in which I presented the Grand Paris Express project in general.