While the work on the Grand Paris Express will be far from complete by the time of the Paris Olympics in 2024, users in the Paris region can expect to see the new lines planned by 2030. There are 200km of metro lines, 68 new stations and four lines expected, despite a delay due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Line 18 is scheduled for 2026, if all goes well, and should linkOrly airport to Versailles-Chantiers station, through several departments: Essonne, Yvelines, Hauts-de-Seine and Val-de-Marne.
On Wednesday, February 15, 2023, Île-de-France Mobilités, Société du Grand Paris and Alstom unveiled the very modern design of the trains of this new automatic metro, which is similar to that of line 14 in the fluidity of its spaces.
Île-de-France: Discover in detail the trainsets of the future line 18 (Orly airport - Versailles) of the @GdParisExpress #metro that @AlstomFrance, @IDFmobilites and the Société du Grand Paris unveil.
- Le Ferroviphile (@ferroviphile_75) February 15, 2023
Purchased by @IDFmobilites, they combine capacity, comfort and fluidity ⤵️ pic.twitter.com/N4soKOCugJ
Line 18 will extend over 35 kilometers, with an overhead and an underground section, and each train will be able to run at 100km/h at peak speed, with 350 passengers on board. 10 stations will be served: Versailles-Chantiers, Satory, Saint-Quentin-Est, CEA-Saint-Aubain, Orsay-Gif, Palaiseau, Massy-Palaiseau, Massy-Opéra, Antonypôle and finally Orly. The three cars of this metro will have wide corridors, with panoramic openings to enjoy the landscape, and will have space for suitcases and strollers in the central car, given the terminus at the airport.
The operator TDF has been chosen to deploy a mobile network of 200 antennas in stations and along the line, for a fluid connection along the route. In addition, the lighting system will adapt to natural light and vary according to the time of day. However, the entire line will not be delivered in 2026. Only the section between Massy-Palaiseau and the CEA Saint-Aubin will be completed. The following year, the service to Orly should be completed, while the last section to Versailles will not arrive until 2030.
