Thales solutions to enhance passenger safety and comfort on lines 15, 16 and 17 of the future Grand Paris Express metro system

•    Thales has teamed with two SMEs to provide onboard systems for lines 15, 16 and 17 of the Grand Paris Express metro system (125 km of lines, 159 trains).

•    The solution includes videoprotection, passenger information, interphone, onboard public address and automatic passenger counting systems.

•    Thales and its partners will provide the most innovative systems to enhance passenger safety and comfort and provide onboard entertainment services.

Société du Grand Paris, the company in charge of the future Grand Paris Express urban rail network, has selected Thales and its partners to design and deploy the onboard systems for lines 15, 16 and 17 of the new system, which is one of the largest projects of its kind in Europe. The latest-generation systems installed on board the trains will enhance passenger safety and improve the passenger experience by providing permanent access to travel information, multimedia content and connectivity services. The 20-year contract involves equipping 159 trains to serve a total of 125 km of new lines.

Passengers are at the heart of the ambitious Grand Paris Express project. The onboard systems supplied by Thales and its partners will provide the highest levels of passenger comfort and safety as well as optimising quality of service for transport operators, security services and maintenance teams. The onboard systems include:

•    onboard CCTV cameras for videoprotection, including smart real-time decision support tools relying on artificial intelligence to automatically detect anomalies such as a passenger remaining on board a train returning to the depot
•    passenger information systems for up-to-date travel information, news about cultural events, advertising and entertainment
•    interphone systems for better communications between passengers and the transport operator
•    onboard public address system to keep passengers informed about incidents affecting train operations
•    automatic passenger counters to inform operators in real time about the number of riders in each train so that train frequency can be adjusted to match usage
•    interfaces and onboard integration of equipment for the digital Grand Paris project (passenger Wi-Fi and onboard telephone services) and for communication and security services (superfast LTE and Wi-Fi).

Thales and its partners are proposing solutions that have been fully proven in transport systems throughout the world, and have numerous rail transport references in France and internationally (Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore, Australia, etc.). The solution will be hosted on a digital platform to provide operators with fully integrated services and to maximise availability for passengers. It is also "cybersecured by design", benefiting from the world-class cybersecurity expertise of the Thales Group.

This major 20-year contract involves equipping 159 trains. The solution will enable transport operators to control operating and maintenance costs and includes obsolescence management functions.