Lyon invests 300 million euros in its automated subway
This page is translated from the original post "Lyon investit 300 millions d’euros dans son métro automatique" in French.
- 31/07/2025 10:05
The Lyon metropolitan area will modernize and increase the frequency of Line D of its subway, for a record amount.
SYTRAL Mobilités and Alstom have just taken a major step forward in the transformation of the Lyon subway. Through a contract worth over 300 million euros, Line D will benefit from a complete technological renewal, both in its rolling stock and in its automated operating system.
Line D, which transports around 300,000 passengers per day, is at the center of the evolution of the Lyon subway towards a more resilient, efficient, and environmentally friendly model.
At the heart of this extensive modernization project is the acquisition of 26 new MPL25 trains, fully automated and designed based on the model of the MPL16 already in service on Line B. Manufactured in France, these two-car trains will offer a capacity exceeding 300 passengers each and can operate in double units to meet the constant increase in demand.
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Line D, the most frequented in Lyon
Passengers will benefit from large windows, modern LED lighting, refrigerated ventilation, and smooth interconnection between cars. Accessibility has also been enhanced with spaces adapted for people with reduced mobility and wider doors. Environmentally, these new trains are 96% recyclable and are entirely braked by an electric system that allows energy recovery, reducing fine particle emissions.
The other aspect of this contract concerns the complete overhaul of the automatic control system of Line D. A pioneer in large-scale automation since 1991, the line will now benefit from Urbalis technology, developed by Alstom. This next-generation signaling system, already in use on Line B, will enable a smoother and more economical management of circulation, without a driver and without platform doors, over the 13 kilometers of the route.
A 100% French Design
This extensive project involves seven industrial sites of Alstom spread across France. From assembly in Valenciennes to motor production in Ornans, and including bogies in Le Creusot, traction chains in Tarbes, as well as cybersecurity and signaling in Villeurbanne, this project strengthens the national railway industrial sector. Even the development of the Urbalis system is handled in Saint-Ouen, at the heart of the largest railway engineering center in Europe.
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