The new trains from Alstom's Metropolis range can carry up to 545 passengers and are double the length of the existing fleet of VAL trains supplied by Matra when the line opened in 1983. The trains will be open-plan and include electronic passenger display units and multimedia screens. Live onboard CCTV images will also be transmitted from the trains to the operations control centre.
The improvements are estimated to reduce energy consumption by 20%, while reducing operations and maintenance costs. The contract is expected to be signed in June with the new trains scheduled to enter service from 2015 until the completion of the contract in 2017. Lille Line 1 is 13.5km long and has 18 stations running from CHR B Calmette to 4 Cantons via Lille Flandres mainline station.
