RATP(1) announced that they will place an order with the Alstom-Bombardier consortium for 70 additional duplex trainsets, known as MI09s. The total amount of the contract is €1 billion , including around €700 million for Alstom, and will be booked in the second quarter of the Fiscal Year 2012/13. Two thirds of the project is financed by the RATP. It is sponsored and the remaining one third financed by the Ile-de-France Transport Authority (STIF). The order corresponds to the exercise of an option in the contract signed in April 2009 for an initial firm order of 60 MI09 trainsets.

The April 2009 order is currently being executed. The first MI09s, in service since December 2011, have already covered a half-million kilometres. Like the first MI09s, the 70 additional trainsets will operate on the RER A of the Ile-de-France Region network. Delivery will start in 2014 and be completed in late 2016.

“I am delighted that the RATP have again placed their trust in Alstom.  This project will strengthen the development of French industry throughout the regions”, said Henri Poupart-Lafarge, President of Alstom Transport.

The design of the MI09 gives priority to seating capacity, smooth traffic flow and passenger comfort. Each of the double-deck trainsets – the only ones able to accommodate a million passengers a day – can transport up to 1,300 people. The 112-metre train is made up of five cars equipped with three large doors to optimise the exchange of passengers in stations. The maximum speed of 120 km/h assures improved speed and flow on the line. For passenger comfort, the lighting creates a calm visual mood. The onboard screens display information on destination, stations served and correspondences. Dedicated facilities are available for people with reduced mobility. The interior arrangement, which provides a full view of both decks when entering the train, and the onboard video-protection system ensure enhanced passenger safety.

The new MI09 trainsets are equipped with a more efficient traction system to reduce energy consumption and generate less brake dust thanks to increased use of electric braking. Furthermore, the trainsets will feature a system to transmit train operating parameters in real time to maintenance teams, allowing them to anticipate which maintenance operations will be required.

The MI09 is manufactured in France. Since the contract signing in April 2009, more than 200 people (engineers, technicians, draftsmen, workers, etc.) have been working on it at the Alstom site in Valenciennes, the centre of expertise for metros and Ile-de-France RERs (other contracts under way: MF01, MP05).

Four other Alstom Transport sites in France contribute to the MI09: Le Creusot for bogie manufacture, Ornans for engines, Tarbes for traction equipment and Villeurbanne for onboard computer systems. In all, some 500 Alstom employees work on the MI09 and 1,500 employees of suppliers are supporting Alstom in this project. The December 2011 entry into commercial service was in line with our commitments and the excellent performance of the delivered trainsets in operation demonstrate the capabilities of the French rail manufacturing industry in the service of operators and French transport organisation authorities.

In addition, RATP has stated its desire to order eight additional metro trainsets from Alstom in accordance with the decision taken by STIF on February 8, 2012. This new order, which is designed to prepare for the extension of Line 14, will later be the subject of an amendment to the contract dated 2005. These rubber-tyred metros, called MP05s, are already in operation on Line 1 of the Paris network.

(1) Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens, the Paris-based public transport operator.