Paris, France--The fully automated, billion-dollar Meteor line of the Paris metro,
which goes into service the middle of this year, is now undergoing performance tests along
its 7.5-kilometer length.
The driverless, rubber-tired train sets will operate on the Matra SAET automated
"moving block" system at 90-second headways during peak periods. Six train sets
have already been delivered; the remaining five are due next month.
The Meteor will relieve congestion on the main line of the Paris metro (Line A), which
now carries 62,000 passengers an hour during the busiest times of the day. The train runs
in a newly excavated tunnel along the Seine, crossing the river between the Tolbiac and
National bridges.
The train's curved aluminum alloy body has three extra-wide sliding doors and is
expected to operate practically without vibration on its rubber tires and pneumatic
suspension bogies. Initially the train sets will have six cars each, carrying some 700
passengers at an average speed of 40 kilometers per hour. At a later stage, train length
will increase to eight cars, carrying more than 950 passengers.
Passengers will reach platforms by way of a mezzanine that straddles the tracks with an
unobstructed view up and down the line. The platforms are being equipped with safety glass
doors to eliminate the risk of passengers falling onto the tracks when no train is in the
station. The safety doors will slide open automatically at the same instant the train
doors open. For the hard of hearing, light signals are activated at the same time as the
chimes warning passengers that the doors are about to close.
The interior of each car will have slash-proof seating with graffiti-proof covers,
surveyed by closed circuit TV cameras connected with central control. Passengers and
central control will have an intercom connection in each car.
Funding for the massive project is divided among the national government, the region,
the Paris transit authority (RATP), and the local government jurisdictions in the Paris
metropolitan area. The national government and the region are picking up 72.8 percent of
the total tab.
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