Greater Paris Advances High-Speed Dynamic Testing on Grand Paris Express Line 15 South Orbital Automated Metro

Europe's Largest Infrastructure Project Reaches Crucial Testing Milestones

PARIS, Île-de-France — Marking a decisive milestone in the delivery of Europe’s largest urban transit undertaking, the Société des Grands Projets and regional transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités have accelerated high-speed dynamic testing across Line 15 South of the Grand Paris Express. Operating along the 33-kilometer subterranean alignment between Pont de Sèvres and Noisy-Champs, automated trainsets have successfully completed high-speed test runs reaching up to 120 km/h, validating traction power systems, automated train control (CBTC), and tunnel ventilation networks.

Line 15 South represents the southern cornerstone of a revolutionary 200-kilometer automated orbital rapid transit network encircling the French capital. Spanning 16 deeply engineered stations across 22 suburban communes in Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine, and Seine-Saint-Denis, the line is purpose-built to revolutionize travel times between outer metropolitan hubs without requiring commuters to transit through central Paris transfer hubs.

Building on the Operational Momentum of the Line 14 Extension

The testing milestones on Line 15 South follow the operational success of the extended Line 14, which now serves as the primary north-south automated rapid transit spine connecting the Saint-Denis Pleyel transport hub directly to Orly Airport in under 25 minutes. Line 14 carries over one million daily passengers, proving the transformative capability of automated, high-frequency driverless transit in easing regional road congestion.

On Line 15 South, civil engineering teams and architectural firms are completing interior fit-outs, installing platform screen doors, escalators, and accessible step-free boarding systems across landmark stations such as Villejuif Gustave-Roussy, Créteil l’Échat, and Noisy-Champs ahead of its anticipated opening for passenger service in autumn 2027.

Orbital Suburb-to-Suburb Connectivity and Economic Transformation

The Grand Paris Express is engineered to eliminate the historic radial dependency of the Paris regional transit network. Line 15 South directly links major biomedical research clusters around the Gustave Roussy Institute, renowned academic campuses at Université Gustave Eiffel in Champs-sur-Marne, and burgeoning cultural districts across the southern suburbs.

Transit analysts project that once fully operational, Line 15 South alone will carry more than 300,000 passengers per day, shaving up to 30 minutes off daily commute times between key suburban employment centres and providing equitable mass transit access for over one million residents living within its immediate catchment area.

Decarbonizing Regional Mobility and Driving Sustainable Urban Growth

Regional leaders emphasized that Line 15 South is a cornerstone of the Île-de-France climate resilience and decarbonization strategy. By displacing an estimated 150,000 daily private vehicle trips across the Parisian highway network, the automated metro will drastically curb particulate pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. The project exemplifies how forward-thinking, fact-based infrastructure investment can connect vibrant communities and cultivate a sustainable economic future for Greater Paris.