Alstom delivers the first next-generation train for line B of the Lyon metro

27 May 2019 – Alstom has delivered the first next-generation train destined for automatic circulation on line B of the Lyon metro network. It arrived at the La Poudrette depot on 25 April, 30 months after the project was launched, as planned. Having undergone more than five months of tests at Valenciennes where it covered 5,000 km, this first train will start dynamic night-time tests on the Lyon network at the end of May.

In total, Alstom will supply 30 trains and the system of automatic train operation, designed to increase the transport capacity of line B of the Lyon metro.

"Alstom is proud to present this first next-generation metro train, which addresses the pressing mobility issues faced by SYTRAL, our customer and long-standing partner. This project will be a showcase for French railway industry expertise," said Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom France.

Each train is 36 metres long and can carry more than 300 passengers, offering a renewed travelling experience: large bay windows, LED lighting, comfortable velvet seats, passenger information screens, air conditioning. The accessibility and fluidity of the trains have been reinforced: wide aisles and doors, a fully low floor, and open interior circulation allowing passengers to pass from one carriage to another during the journey.

Based on Alstom's rubber-tyred metro solutions and constantly improved by feedback from its customers, the new trains benefit from the latest technological advances to increase availability, operational flexibility and ease of maintenance. They are equipped with Alstom's Urbalis 400 solution, already deployed on more than 1,000 kilometres of metro lines worldwide to enable automatic operation, without drivers.

Respectful of the environment, the new trains of the Lyon metro are eco-designed and 96% recyclable. They are equipped with a fully electric braking system, LED lighting and other innovations to reduce energy consumption by 25% compared to the trains currently in service.

Six of Alstom’s 13 sites in France are involved in the development and implementation of the Avenir Métro (Future Metro) programme: Valenciennes for the design, interior layout, assembly, testing and certification of the trains, Ornans for the motors, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the traction chain, Villeurbanne for the on-board electronics, passenger information systems, signalling equipment and operational maintenance of the automation equipment, as well as Saint-Ouen, the largest engineering centre in Europe, for the coordination of the design and development of the Urbalis signalling system. With more than 1,600 experts, Alstom is the largest employer in France for signalling.