Keolis to operate a third Île-de-France metro line
On 18 June 2024, the Île-de-France Mobilités Board of Directors selected Keolis to operate the Île-de-France region’s metro line 18. Keolis’ mobilisation period will begin in October 2024 with a two-year pre-operational phase. The first section, running from Massy-Palaiseau to Saclay, will open to passengers in October 2026, with four stations in service. In 2027, three new stations will open on the section between Massy-Palaiseau and Orly airport. Finally, the last section will open in 2030 with three new stations, taking line 18 to a terminus at Versailles-Chantiers.
Keolis will harness its extensive expertise in station management and in the operation of automatic metros to improve the everyday mobility of Île-de-France inhabitants, with ambitious pledges in terms of service quality. The goal is to elevate the Île-de-France metro in line with the highest international standards, as a reflection of the automatic metros already operated by Keolis in London, Doha, Dubai and Shanghai.
A new transport link for 100,000 trips per day
The line is expected to provide 100,000 journeys per day by 2030, simplifying the travels of the residents of the Essonne, Yvelines and Hauts-de-Seine departments thanks to an array of connections notably with the Transilien lines N and U, RER lines B and C, tram line T7, tramtrain line T12 and several bus routes. It will provide a fast route into Paris via line 14 from Paris-Orly airport. Line 18 will also improve domestic and international travel through its connections with the Massy TGV station and Paris-Orly airport.
The line will cater to the mobility needs of inhabitants, students, researchers and workers who live, study or work nearby. It will connect up the large economic hubs of Orly, Antony, Massy, Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines and Versailles, along with one of the world’s leading research and development centres, the Saclay Plateau.
Keolis, a pioneer and world leader in automatic metros
Ever since the launch of the first automatic metro in Lille more than 40 years ago, Keolis’ experience in the operation of this new mode of transport has continued to grow all over the world. Today, Keolis is the operator of nine automatic metro networks, including the world’s longest, in Dubai. In addition, the group is currently preparing for the launch of two metro lines in Île-de-France (lines 16 and 17) and one in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. With 330 km of lines in operation or under construction, Keolis is the world leader in automatic metros.
