The contract covers the construction of the line using Alstom’s Appitrack system, as well as the supply and installation of electrification, including reversible substations, CBTC, platform screen doors, and a fleet of Metropolis metro trains.
The contract also includes an option for the provision of maintenance for the line for an initial term of six years, with an option to extend this for an additional 12 years.
The line will have a capacity of 5000 passengers per hour per direction (pphpd) but will be designed to be capable of expanding to a maximum capacity of 15,000 pphpd in future. The contract includes an option to expand capacity to up to 10,000 pphpd.
Alstom says the contract is worth up to €713m if all options are exercised.
The fleet of Metropolis metro trains will operate at speeds of 41km/h. The trains will initially operate as 36m-long two-car trains with a capacity of 286 passengers, which may be extended to 48m three-car trains with a 386 passenger capacity.
The trains will feature regenerative braking, air-conditioning with air filtration, LED lighting and anti-bacterial coatings on handholds.
The €2.67bn Aerospace Express northwest-southeast line will link Colomiers, near Toulouse-Blagnac Airport, and Labège, serving 21 stations. The line, which will be the city’s third, was originally slated for commissioning in 2024, however the opening has since been pushed back to 2025.
The contract was awarded following the Toulouse administrative court’s rejection of an appeal by rival bidder, Siemens Mobility, challenging Alstom’s selection for the contract.
Siemens previously built the first two metro lines in the city.
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