30th May 2023
2min

• Île-de-France Mobilités has appointed Keolis to operate the new automated metro lines 16 and 17 on the region's metro network. Both lines will open in October 2026. The seven-year contract, with a further optional three-year extension, also includes the operation of Saint-Denis Pleyel station, the largest in the network, from June 2024, before the 2024 Paris Olympics.

• These are the first metro lines opened to competition in Île-de-France, enabling Keolis to place its expertise in operating automatic metro systems at the service of the region's travellers. The goal is for these new lines to match the best standards in the world in terms of performance and passenger experience.

• With this new contract, Keolis confirms its acknowledged expertise and global leadership in automated metro systems and strengthens its position as a transport operator in Île-de-France.

« We are honoured and proud of the trust that Île-de-France Mobilités has shown in us by choosing us to operate lines 16 and 17 of the Îlede-France metro network. This high-profile contract represents a significant step forward in our journey in Île-de-France and reflects our acknowledged expertise in operating automated metro systems. The Keolis teams are keen to rise to the challenge alongside Île-de-France Mobilités and offer passengers a new experience: the metro system of the 21st century, more efficient, better connected and more human. »

Marie-Ange Debon, Chairwoman of the Keolis Group

Keolis, the operator of the first Île-de-France metro lines opened to competition

On 30 May 2023, the board of Île-de-France Mobilités, the transport authority for the Île-de-France region, approved a resolution to award Keolis the contract to operate metro lines 16 and 17.

These are the first metro lines to be awarded through competitive tender in Île-de-France (apart from airport services). This is the first time Keolis has been able to apply its expertise in operating automatic metro systems to serving the daily transport needs of Île-de-France residents, with very demanding commitments in terms of quality of service.

The ambition is for the Île-de-France metro system to reach the highest international standards, like those offered by the most modern automated metro systems operated by Keolis in Doha, Dubai and Shanghai.

To accomplish the leap in quality expected by Île-de-France Mobilités, Keolis will call on leading partners in their fields such as Klépierre, the European leader in shopping centres, and start-ups offering advanced innovation.

The contract covers the operation of Île-de-France metro lines 16 and 17, which will enter into service in October 2026, including operating the transport service, welcoming passengers, providing travel information and maintaining the rolling stock and stations. Keolis will also be responsible for managing Saint-Denis Pleyel station from June 2024, which will welcome passengers during the 2024 Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Lines that will change the everyday lives of Île-de-France residents

Line 16 will call at 10 stations between Saint-Denis Pleyel and Noisy-Champs with a journey time of under 30 minutes from end to end. It will bring services to towns that are currently poorly served by public transport, such as Clichy-sous-Bois and Montfermeil, andwill run between key hubs of the capital region, including the Descartes university campus and Saint-Denis. It shares a 6.4 km stretch with line 17, linking Saint-Denis Pleyel, La Courneuve Six-Routes and Le Bourget RER stations, together with the operations centre located in Aulnay-sous-Bois and Gonesse. On its completion, it is expected to carry 200,000 passengers a day.

Line 17 will serve nine stations between Saint-Denis Pleyel and Mesnil-Amelot in under 25 minutes. The service will make daily life easier for nearly 565,000 residents, with up to 60,000 passengers ultimately expected every day. Line 17 will contribute to the development of major economic centres in Île-de-France, such as the Saint-Denis Pleyel area, the Paris Nord Villepinte exhibition centre and Paris-Le Bourget. It will streamline daily travel for passengers, making it possible to reach Paris-Charles de Gaulle airport in less than 20 minutes, rather than 45 today. It will be wellconnected with other metro lines (14, 15 and 16), the RER B and D radial railway lines and the T1 and T11 Express tram lines.

Keolis, the pioneer and world leader in automated metro systems

This year, Keolis is celebrating the 40th anniversary of its launch of the first automatic metro system in the world, in Lille in 1983. Since then, Keolis' experience in operating this mode of transport has grown steadily across the globe. Today, Keolis operates around a dozen automated metro systems, including the longest in the world, in Dubai, and London's Docklands Light Railway. Keolis also continues to launch new automated lines, including the modernised line B in Lyon (opened in June 2022) and line b in Rennes (opened in September 2022). With 280 km of lines in operation or under construction, Keolis is the world's leading operator of automated metro systems.

Keolis in Île-de-France

Operating across all the communities in the Paris region, Keolis manages 400 bus lines, ondemand transport services and transport for people with reduced mobility through 27 subsidiaries employing 5,000 people. Keolis is already the operator of five Île-de-France rail networks that are in operation or preparing to launch: T9, T11 Express, T12 Express, T13 Express and CDG Express.

As Île-de-France Mobilités's local partner, Keolis works closely with all the stakeholders in the capital region's transport ecosystem. This approach is combined with an in-depth knowledge of mobility and lifestyles in Île-de-France thanks to its Keoscopie observatory/