Siemens Mobility and Toulouse metro operator Tisséo have doubled the capacity on the city’s Line A. They have achieved this by doubling the length of the trains from 26 to 52 metres.
Tisséo Collectivités has inaugurated the new XXL Line A. The contract to double capacity on the metro by increasing the length of the trains from 26 to 52 metres by making the trains four cars instead of two cars in length was awarded in November 2015. The four-car trains have a capacity of up to 320 passengers, which increases the daily capacity on the line from 220,000 to 400,000. The goal is to achieve operating intervals of 75 seconds between trains during peak times. This will reduce passenger waiting times, leading to greater satisfaction.
“As one of France’s fastest-growing cities, Toulouse needs a transportation system that guarantees availability and provides a great passenger experience. Our VAL solution will help the city achieve these objectives by doubling capacity on Line A for daily commuters and visitors alike.”
Siemens Mobility was in charge of managing the project’s overall system integration. This included engineering, software developments and modifications to the Val system (rolling stock, automation system, track, platform screen doors, network, automatic supervision and central control station in Basso-Cambo). The delivery timeline for this project was very tight, but Siemens Mobility managed to meet the deadline. The Siemens Mobility employees and partners worked between midnight and 4am to make the necessary modifications. Metro services begin at 5:15am.
The Siemens VAL was the world’s first fully automated driverless metro on tires. The first line started carrying passengers in 1983. Siemens Mobility developed this flagship product in Toulouse.
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