Île-de-France Mobilités, the authority that organizes public transport in Paris and its metropolitan area, has commissioned CAF a contract exceeding 150 million euros for the supply of 15 train-trams intended for line T13. The agreement also includes the option for the provision of spare parts for the fleet and the possible purchase of additional units.
The Basque railway company details that line T13 is integrated into the regional transport network of Île-de-France and is operated by RATP Cap Île-de-France, a subsidiary of RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens).
Launched in 2022, the T13 serves the area of the Grand Contournement Ouest (GCO) of the French capital, linking daily Saint-Germain-en-Laye with Saint-Cyr-l'École, in the department of Yvelines, and crossing the towns of Mareil-Marly, L'Étang-la-Ville, Noisy-le-Roi, Bailly, and Versailles. This line strengthens the interoperability of the regional transport system by connecting with the TER, RER networks, and various bus lines.
15 train-trams to expand T13
The 15 new units will be allocated to the extension of T13 to the town of Achères. This extension aims to shorten travel times, establish a frequency of 10 minutes during peak hours, enhance intermodality with other services such as RER A, RER E, and Transilien L, and "provide the line with modern and reliable trains, thus improving the service offered to passengers."
The vehicles will be developed based on CAF's URBOS tram platform, "of proven efficiency." The rolling stock will consist of seven articulated modules supported on five bogies.
Each unit will be 42 meters long and 2.65 meters wide, with a total capacity of 86 seats and 170 standing places. It will feature a low floor in 75% of the train, facilitating access and movement for people with reduced mobility (PRM). It will include an air conditioning system and dynamic information screens located both above the doors and on the platform.
The new rolling stock will respect the visual identity and design set by Île-de-France Mobilités to ensure "a perfect integration with the existing fleet." The manufacturing will take place at the CAF plant in Bagnères-de-Bigorre, in the French region of Hautes-Pyrénées.
This order adds to the contract signed at the beginning of this year for the supply of 10 regional trains of the Régiolis platform to SNCF Voyageurs for the New Aquitaine region. With this, the company emphasizes its "ability to offer one of the widest product ranges in the French market in the field of mobility," which ranges from long-distance Intercités trains to zero-emission buses, commuter trains, trams, and subways.
The Basque firm maintains that this set of projects has strengthened CAF's industrial and commercial footprint in France, "turning this market into one of the company's main ones." "This new contract confirms CAF's firm commitment to the French market," it has concluded.