A consortium led by RATP Dev, a RATP subsidiary specializing in the operation of transport networks outside its historical domain, is approaching to become the operator of the “15 Sud” line of the Grand Paris Express, Ile said on Friday. France Mobilites (IDFM).
The operator’s choice is to be confirmed in an IDFM board vote on July 18, the regional transport authority said in a brief press release. In addition to RATP Dev, the prospective group includes industrialist Alstom, maker of automated metros for line 15, and Singaporean group ComfortDelGro, a specialist in passenger services. IDFM and RATP declined to comment further on the terms of the contract.
This covers a period of 72 months (6 years), possibly extendable in one-year increments not to exceed 108 months (9 years), with 2 years of pre-operation, based on the call launched in 2021.
Keolis chosen for lines 16 and 17
The “15 Sud” line, currently under construction through Hauts-de-Seine, Val-de-Marne and Seine-Saint-Denis, should link Pont de Sèvres with Noisy-Champs by the end of 2025. 33 km long , should be the first link of line 15 of the Grand Paris Express, which will form a large ring road, 75 km long, around the capital in the early 2030s.
If the RATP will maintain the monopoly of the existing lines of the Paris metro until the end of 2039, the exploitation of future infrastructure is already open to competition and is the subject of tenders. Keolis, a subsidiary of SNCF, has thus been chosen to operate the future lines 16 and 17 of the Greater Paris metro, the first sections of which will open at the end of 2026 in Seine-Saint-Denis.
IDFM has not yet designated the operator of the future line 18 of the Grand Paris Express, which will link Orly airport, Massy-Palaiseau and Versailles in the south of the region.
Source: BFM TV
