Metro line 11: start of tests for the new trains
As you probably know, the old metros of line 11 (which were almost 60 years old) will be replaced very soon by brand new MP14 trains. You can already use MP14s on line 14 or line 4, in their automatic version. On the 11th, they will be driven by drivers.
The objective? Replace the 23 old MP59 trainsets with 20 MP14 trainsets
Longer, more comfortable and reliable, the 20 MP14 trains will allow line 11 to accommodate more passengers. This is a crucial element as its extension is looming in a few months.
But before the 20 MP14 trainsets replace the 23 MP59 trainsets (designed in the 1960s!), a number of steps remain to be taken.
February 13, 2023: Let's go for the MP14 dry run
From 13 February, the stage of the "dry run" begins! The dry run? It is the injection of an empty train, which does not take passengers, in the middle of the traffic. On line 11, these tests will take place every Monday, from 9 p.m., until the end of May. In concrete terms, an MP14 train will be injected into the "carousel" of metros that run on the line and will make the entire route of the existing line 11. But be careful, you won't be able to get on it. For the moment:)
Why these tests?
- To check all systems in real conditions and make the final necessary adjustments to ensure perfect safety
- To allow staff to deepen their knowledge of the equipment before welcoming the first passengers
What's next? What is the deployment schedule for MP14s?
From 24 March to 2 April, closure between Belleville and Mairie des Lilas
In order to carry out the final works that will make it possible to integrate the new MP14 trains, line 11 will be closed between Belleville and Mairie des Lilas stations from 24 March to 2 April 2023.
June 2023: Entry into service of 5 new trains each week
After the dry runs organized from February to May, the deployment of the MP14 for its commercial use by travelers will be done gradually from the beginning of June 2023.
At the end of the dry runs, at the end of May, the 20 MP14 trainsets will be ready for commercial use on line 11.
A deployment that will be organized gradually. It's the "noria": every Monday in June, between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m., 5 new trains will be injected into the carousel of the metros in circulation on line 11, replacing 5 MP59 trains that will leave the line for good. Objective: 100% of MP14s on the line by the end of June.
From July to August 2023, closed on Sundays for the line extension work
Between July and August 2023, every Sunday, the line will be closed to allow the acceleration of the extension work on the line underway between Mairie des Lilas and the future terminus of Rosny-Bois-Perrier. An extension that should welcome its first passengers in the spring of 2024.
Metro 11: a line in the process of being modernised
In addition to the arrival of the MP14s in the summer of 2023, modernisation work and the construction of the extension of the line are underway.
Why did you choose to modernise line 11?
- To adapt stations and platforms to the increased flow of passengers by building new entrances, emergency exits, escalators and elevators.
- To enlarge the platforms to accommodate the new MP14s, which are longer than the MP59s currently in circulation.
- To facilitate mobility between the municipalities of Les Lilas, Bagnolet, Romainville, Noisy-le-Sec and Rosny-sous-Bois, areas with high potential for urban change, linked, for the moment, only by bus lines.
