Press release
12 April 2011
RATP and
Alstom create Metrolab,
a joint venture for developing
the automatic metro of the future
At the 59th UITP World Congress and Exhibition in Dubai, RATP CEO,
Pierre Mongin, and Alstom Transport President, Philippe Mellier,
announced the creation of Metrolab,
a research laboratory dedicated to developing the automatic metro of
the future.
The creation of this joint venture, held equally by the RATP Group and
Alstom Transport, demonstrates the shared commitment of the two groups
to providing major conurbations with innovative and completely
automated urban and suburban transport solutions, whether these concern
new networks or renovations to existing systems.
Both groups have significant experience in evaluating short-
and medium-distance transport needs in densely or very densely
populated areas. Their combined expertise will allow Metrolab to
develop complete systems covering infrastructures, rolling stock,
signalling, passenger information, operations and maintenance. The
solutions developed by Metrolab will be marketed by the RATP Group or
Alstom Transport under the name Optimet.
Metrolab will initially have a staff of 15, all of them experts in
integrating complex urban transport systems. It will be managed by two
general directors, François Jasmin (RATP) and Didier Valiere (Alstom
Transport). The position of Chair of the Board of Directors will be
held by rotation: the Board will initially be chaired by Marc Chatelard
(Alstom Transport) and then by Yves Ramette (RATP).
The company’s budget will be financed in equal parts by the
two partners’ capital. The first research results will take shape by
2013 with a demonstration metro trainset.
RATP CEO Pierre Mongin
made the following comments after the announcement of the creation of
Metrolab: “I am very pleased with this strategic agreement between two
major companies whose technical skills are complementary and whose
expertise is globally recognised. In a world where urban transport
needs are increasing, Metrolab will allow us to design a new generation
of metros matching the needs of the major cities of tomorrow. RATP will
contribute its expertise as operator and maintainer to help serve
complex urban networks combining service quality and complete safety.”
“Alstom is very pleased to combine its 70 years of international
metro experience with the expertise of the RATP Group, one of the
world’s leading operators,” said Philippe
Mellier, President of Alstom Transport.
“With Metrolab, we are preparing to meet the future needs of a market
that appears particularly promising given that by 2015, over 500 cities
worldwide will exceed one million inhabitants.”
The automatic metro, a
growing market
There is a great deal of renewed interest in automatic
metros around the world. The congestion of metro lines, linked to
exploding urban demographics, is a real challenge for cities. One of
the most effective solutions for preventing the saturation of networks
and increasing their transport capacity is to automate signalling and
metro operation. This makes it possible to increase the frequency of
trainsets and reduce waiting time between two metros, in complete
safety and with maximum comfort.
The increasing complexity of technical solutions and
infrastructure projects is leading more and more customers to demand
comprehensive turnkey solutions. It is this type of solution,
guaranteeing overall cost and timeframe, which the research conducted
at Metrolab will target. Both companies have a great deal of experience
in this area, having already carried out similar projects in Singapore,
Lausanne, Cairo, Shanghai, Caracas and Paris.
Unparalleled dual metro
expertise
RATP
RATP has unparalleled expertise in the area of design and innovation
(rubber-tyre metro, automatic metro etc.), construction, operation and
metro maintenance. The metro networks of several major cities
(Montreal, Santiago de Chile, Mexico City etc.) were designed by RATP’s
teams. After the service launch of one of the largest automatic metro
lines in the world (Line 14 of the Paris metro), RATP continued to
innovate by automating one of the highest-traffic metro lines in Paris:
Line 1.
Alstom Transport
One out of every four metros operating worldwide is an Alstom metro. In
70 years, Alstom has equipped over 45 cities with metros. Over 4,000
Métropolis cars have been ordered since the product line was launched
in 1998.
About RATP
The world’s
fifth-largest urban transport operator, the RATP Group,
which employs 56,000 people on four continents and in 12 countries,
transports 12 million passengers every day using various modes of
transport: metro, automatic metro, RER, bus, coach, tram, funicular and
waterway shuttle.
The
RATP Group has all the expertise it needs in R&D to achieve
global
integration: architecture, engineering, maintenance, urban and regional
network operation and management of major multimodal hubs.
About Alstom Transport
With sustainable
transport in mind, Alstom Transport develops and
offers the most complete range of systems, equipment and services on
the rail market. Alstom Transport is capable of managing complete
transport systems, from rolling stock to signalling, maintenance and
infrastructure, as well as offering turnkey solutions. In 2009-2010,
Alstom Transport recorded sales of €5.8 billion. Alstom Transport is
present in over 60 countries and has 26,000 employees.
