Société des Grands Projets Advances Grand Paris Express Line 18 Launch and Line 15 Dynamic Rail Testing

Connecting Greater Paris with 200 Kilometers of Automated Metro

PARIS, France — The Société des Grands Projets (SGP), in partnership with regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités, has advanced crucial final system verification tests ahead of the commercial commissioning of Line 18, marking the next operational milestone in the transformative 200-kilometer Grand Paris Express orbital rapid transit network.

Line 18's maiden 14-kilometer operational phase will link the major transit hub of Massy-Palaiseau with Christ de Saclay. Operating fully automated, driverless three-car trainsets running at speeds up to 100 km/h on both subterranean and elevated viaduct tracks, Line 18 provides rapid, zero-emission mass transit connecting the world-class Paris-Saclay research, scientific, and university cluster with the southern RER rail network, slashing regional journey times by more than 30 minutes.

Dynamic High-Speed Train Testing on Line 15 South

Parallel to Line 18 preparations, civil engineering and transit systems contractors have initiated full-scale dynamic train testing along the 33-kilometer underground corridor of Line 15 South between Pont de Sèvres and Noisy-Champs. Alstom-manufactured Metropolis automated trains are undergoing rigorous nocturnal trial runs to evaluate automatic train control (ATC) signaling, regenerative electro-dynamic braking, and platform screen door synchronicity at 90-second headways.

Line 15 South traverses 22 municipalities across Greater Paris, interconnecting with existing Metro Lines, Transilien suburban rail, and RER lines A, B, C, and D. By providing a high-speed orbital loop around Paris, the line enables outer-suburb commuters to bypass central Paris terminals entirely, mitigating severe overcrowding across inner-city interchanges like Châtelet-Les Halles.

Accelerating Regional Decarbonization and Climate Resilience

Building upon the proven ridership success of the recently extended Line 14 connecting Saint-Denis–Pleyel directly with Paris-Orly Airport, the expanded Grand Paris Express network will eliminate an estimated 750,000 private vehicle trips daily from the congested Boulevard Périphérique and regional motorways upon full completion.

Île-de-France regional officials emphasized that the automated metro network serves as the economic and ecological backbone of 21st-century Greater Paris, driving balanced polycentric urban regeneration, connecting underprivileged suburban communities, and safeguarding European air quality standards.