Wikipedia

Paris Métro Line 18

Paris Métro Line 18 is one of four new lines of Grand Paris Express, a major expansion project of the Paris Métro. Currently under construction, it will link Orly Airport to Versailles via Massy-Palaiseau, the Saclay Plateau, and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines. The line will be 35 kilometers (22 mi) long and will be fully automated (along with all Grand Paris Express lines). Subsequently, it is planned to be extended by about 15 kilometers (9.3 mi) from Versailles to Nanterre via Rueil-Malmaison.

Line 18
Paris Métro Paris Métro Line 18
Overview
TerminiVersailles Chantiers
Aéroport d'Orly
Connecting linesParis Métro Paris Métro Line 14
RER RER B RER C
Transilien Transilien Line N (Paris-Montparnasse) Transilien Line U Transilien Line V
Tramways in Île-de-France Île-de-France tramway Line 7 Île-de-France tramway Line 12
Stations12
Service
SystemParis Métro
Operator(s)RATP
History
Planned opening2026 (from Massy-Palaiseau to Christ de Saclay)
2027 (from Orly Airport to Massy-Palaiseau)
2030 (from Christ de Saclay to Versailles-Chantiers)
after 2030 (from Versailles-Chantiers to Nanterre–La Folie)
Technical
Line length50 km (31 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Conduction systemAutomated
Route map

Legend
proposed extension (>2030)
proposed extension (>2030)
Nanterre–La Folie
 Paris Métro Paris Métro Line 15 Paris Métro Line 17 Paris Métro Line 19 RER RER E
 Rueil-Malmaison
RER RER A
 Versailles Chantiers
RER RER C Transilien Transilien Line N (Paris-Montparnasse) Transilien Line U Transilien Line V TER Centre-Val de Loire TER Normandie Ouigo#Ouigo Train Classique Tramways in Île-de-France Île-de-France tramway Line 12
 Satory
Guyancourt
Up arrow Phase 3 (2030)
Down arrow Phase 1 (2026)
 Christ de Saclay
Moulon Campus
Marguerite Perey
Palaiseau workshop
 Massy–Palaiseau
RER RER B RER C Transilien Transilien Line V Ouigo#Ouigo Train Classique Tramways in Île-de-France Île-de-France tramway Line 12
Up arrow Phase 1 (2026)
Down arrow Phase 2 (2027)
 Massy Opéra
Antonypole–Wissous Centre
Aéroport d'Orly
Paris Métro Paris Métro Line 14 Tramways in Île-de-France Île-de-France tramway Line 7 Orlyval
Handicapped/disabled access All stations are accessible
This diagram:

It is expected to be completed after 2030. Its first section, from Orly Airport to the Saclay plateau (Christ de Saclay), is scheduled to open in 2026 between the stations of Massy-Palaiseau and Christ de Saclay, in 2027 between Massy-Palaiseau and Orly Airport, and in 2030 between Christ de Saclay and Versailles Chantiers. One of the line's aims is to serve the technological and scientific development cluster of Paris-Saclay and the campus of Paris-Saclay University.

Project management for engineering and stations has been entrusted to the Icare group, led by Ingérop Consulting and Engineering, with several architectural firms for the various stations of the section while the systems are under the responsibility by Egis Rail.[1] The viaduct and the overhead stations are entrusted to the Benthem Crouwel group.

It will be the only metro line of the Grand Paris Express that will serve the department of Yvelines with three stations in two municipalities: the station of Versailles-Chantiers and that of Satory will be located at Versailles and the Saint-Quentin Est station will be located at Guyancourt.

History

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Line 18 is the result of the Grand Paris public transport network project, presented by the President of the Republic Nicolas Sarkozy in 2009. This provided for a large gauge green line connecting Orly Airport to Roissy via Saclay and La Défense. The green line is then included in the Grand Paris Express project with a terminus this time fixed at Nanterre, with entry into service then envisaged between 2025 and 2030.

On 6 March 2013, the Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault unveils the map of the future network of the Nouveau Grand Paris (new name of the Grand Paris Express), on which appears for the first time the denomination of "line 18". Its route is then limited to the section Aéroport d'Orly – Versailles-Chantiers, the future of the section to Nanterre becoming uncertain. A variant of the route making it possible to serve the Versailles Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines University was being considered, but was subsequently abandoned in favor of a more direct route. It is also on this occasion that the choice of a metro with an appropriate gauge is indicated, in view of the expected ridership which does not justify trains as large as on the other lines.

In 2014, Prime Minister Manuel Valls announced that the sections CEA Saint-Aubin – Massy – Palaiseau and Massy – Palaiseau – Aéroport d'Orly would be effective from 2024, the line having to be ready in time to serve the site envisaged for the Universal Exhibition of 2025.[2]

The reinforced consultation on the line 18 project (section Orly Airport – Versailles-Chantiers ) took place from 12 May to 12 June 2015.[3] The public investigation file was sent to the regional prefect by the SGP in the summer of 2015, for an investigation from 21 March to 26 April 2016.[4]

Line 18 is declared of public utility on 28 March 2017.[5]

In January 2018, Prime Minister Édouard Philippe announced the withdrawal of the French candidacy for the organization of the Universal Exhibition of 2025.[6] It was then envisaged that a first section from Massy-Palaiseau to CEA Saint-Aubin be put into service from 2026.[7][8]

On 15 May 2020, the Société du Grand Paris awarded Vinci Construction the first civil engineering contract for the line 18, for an amount of 800 million euros: it concerns the section from Orly to the Saclay plateau.[9][10]

From Monday 15 June to Friday 17 July 2020, an additional public inquiry is carried out, to obtain an amending declaration of public utility, allowing the declaration of public utility to be made compatible with the town planning documents of Orsay, Palaiseau and Wissous.[11]

Calendar

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Line 18 is planned to be put into service in the following stages:[12][13]

For an opening after 2030, an extension from Versailles Chantiers to Nanterre–La Folie is under study.

Specifications

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The State-Region memorandum of understanding having ratified the fact that the line 18, originally called the green line, would be an automatic metro line with suitable gauge.[14][15] the type of rolling stock that will circulate there will be an automatic metro, running on iron. The cars will have a width of approximately 2.50 meters (8 ft 2 in) (a size similar to that of the current Paris metro) and the trains will be composed of three or four cars which can accommodate 350 travelers by train.[16] The trains will be supplied by a third rail in 1500 V, unlike lines 15, 16 and 17.[17]

Construction

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Preparatory work

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Preparatory works (relocation of networks) started in January 2018 at the future station Massy Opéra .[18]

Construction work

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Construction of station Antonypole in Antony (October 2021).
 
Construction of a viaduct, crossing N118 near Orsay (July 2022).

The market for the construction of the tunnel, stations and service works between the future station Aéroport d'Orly and the Saclay plateau, beyond the Massy station. Palaiseau was awarded in May 2020 to a consortium made up of Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Spie Batignolles Civil Engineering, Dodin Campenon-Bernard, Vinci Construction France, Spie Batignolles Foundations and Boots Foundations. The amount of the contract is EUR 799 million excluding taxes. This contract includes the construction of 11.8 kilometers (7.3 mi) of tunnel which will be dug by two tunnel boring machines, the construction of the Antonypôle, Massy Opéra and Massy-Palaiseau stations, as well as the crossing of the future Aéroport d'Orly, already under construction, and 13 works of service east of the line.[19]

Line 18 tunnel boring machines

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Two tunnel boring machines will be used to dig the 11.8 kilometres (7.3 mi) tunnel of the eastern section of Line 18 between Aéroport d'Orly and the Saclay plateau.

Number Last name Entry point Dated Exit point Dated Distance
(km) 		Photo Notes
1 Croix de Villebois Massy D920
2 Massy D920

Tracks and stations

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Plot

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Future route map of the line.

With a length of 35 km (22 mi), line 18 has an underground section of approximately 22 km (14 mi) (61% of the line) and an overhead section of 13 km (8.1 mi) (39% of line).[17]

The line starts underground at Orly Airport to the south-east at the limit of the departments of Essonne and Val-de-Marne, under the car parks between the west and south terminals. The station is in correspondence with the Line 14 (which is parallel to it) and is extended by a rear station.

The route heads north and passes under the airport runways before turning west. It crosses the municipality of Wissous without stopping, passes under the A6 and A10 highways and then turns slightly south before turning serve the station "Antonypôle" located in the town of Antony, Hauts-de-Seine. Entering the territory of the municipality of Massy, the line then serves "Massy Opéra" then passes under the LGV Atlantique before coming into line with the beam train from Massy – Palaiseau. It then serves the station of the same name where it connects with the RER B, RER C and TGV station.

The line slants again towards the west and enters the town of Palaiseau before passing under the D36 then coming to stand parallel to the latter at the level of the district "Camille-Claudel." At this point the line becomes aerial and is inserted into a viaduct. It goes beyond the connection to the future Palaiseau maintenance workshop, bypasses the École polytechnique then serves after a curve and a counter-curve the air station of "Palaiseau". The viaduct then heads south, crosses N118 and serves the Orsay-Gif station located at the limit of Orsay, Gif-sur-Yvette and Saint-Aubin. The route then heads due north then north-west along N118 and serves the CEA Saint-Aubin station in Saclay.

The line then turns towards the west and crosses a long inter-station still in the air along the D36. It crosses the municipalities of Villiers-le-Bâcle and Châteaufort, marking the entry of the line into Yvelines. It then arrives at the National Golf of Magny-les-Hameaux and finds its course underground.

The tunnel heads north-east and serves the underground station of "Saint-Quentin Est" at Guyancourt. It crosses Guyancourt then oblique towards the east and arrives at the station "Satory" located at Versailles. Finally, the line passes under N12 and heads north-east before running alongside the railway tracks and arriving at the terminus of Versailles – Chantiers where it connects to RER C and Transiliens U and N.[20]

List of stations

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Line map.

Operations center

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An operations center playing the role of maintenance and storage site for trains is planned at Palaiseau, along the departmental route 36, near the École Polytechnique campus. Earthworks, carried out by Eiffage, begin in 3rd quarter 2020.[21]

Reception

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Many local criticisms have been voiced regarding this project. Thus, residents and elected officials of the municipalities crossed by the aerial metro ask that it be buried.[22][23] In addition, the inhabitants of Wissous, a town located between Antony and Orly Airport, crossed by the line but not served by it, in fact feel forgotten by the project.[24]

The most important criticisms come from expert opinions outside the field of local democracy, pointing out in particular a gap difficult to justify between the dimensioning of this infrastructure and the flows that it would accommodate in view of the tools of territorial analysis and flow simulation. . Indeed, the justification of the line 18 project within the overall public transport network project of Greater Paris presented in 2009–2010 was that of the connection of employment centers among them, which would imply a significant flow between them. However, " connections between job centers in Île-de-France only represent 3% of transport needs ".[25] In addition, the analysis of the socio-economic characteristics of the territories crossed shows that we have in the Orly pole " a high proportion of workers "on the spot", that is to say holding a job. in their commune of residence ", and that in the centers of Massy and Versailles," "trips are much more made internally than to an external basin" ".[25]

Thus, from 2015, the General Investment Commission (CGI) issued an unfavorable opinion for line 18, in its Saclay-Versailles section.[26]

The FNAUT Île-de-France transport users association considers line 18 as

a prestigious metro disconnected from real needs travel.

AUT / FNAUT Île-de-France therefore wishes that an opinion be rendered unfavorable to the public utility of this line.[27] In 2017, it renews its criticisms on the oversizing of the line 18 and considers that a tram-type service could be sufficient for the latter.[28]

According to Pascal Auzannet, former senior official in charge of reflections on the Grand Paris metro project within RATP in the 2010s,[29] it would be wiser to extend the 7.3 kilometers from the Orlyval to the Saclay plateau. Indeed, with a transport capacity at peak hour greater than 7500 passengers, this possibility is compatible with the traffic forecasts presented in 2016 during a public inquiry. In an interview with the Public Establishment in charge of the development of the urban project of the Saclay plateau, subsequent to the publication of the book, he generalizes this comment by indicating: “ The choice of a metro (rather than simple buses on specific sites) was therefore fully justified, but was there a need for a heavy metro, as on the other lines, with the risk of overcapacity? Personally, I have always thought that the initial option was oversized. (...) at the beginning, we envisaged capacities of 40,000 passengers in each direction of traffic, while demand by 2030 should not exceed 5–6,000”.[30]

On 22 June 2018, during a conference of "Professional Groups of Arts and Crafts", Jean-Marc Jancovici, speaking of the carbon impact of the various infrastructures, said: “Line 18 […] will never refund its initial carbon, so if we want to do it [this project] on the grounds of carbon, we must not do it".[31]

In July 2018, the Council of State rejected the requests of several communities and associations for the defense of the environment and validated the declaration of public utility.[32]

In July 2020 during the last public inquiry into the project, FNAUT Île-de-France Transport Users Association pointed out in a message posted on the microblogging network Twitter[33] that the socio-economic profitability of this line has been revised upwards in an unexplained manner.

Development projects

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The creation of a Camille-Claudel station

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Since 2015, elected officials and residents in Palaiseau have mobilized for the construction of a new metro station next to the new eco-district of Camille-Claudel which is to house 4,000 inhabitants. This station would be located between the Massy-Palaiseau and Palaiseau stops, at the point where the line emerges from the ground to run on a viaduct.[34]

The report of the Public Inquiry Commission of 2016 recommended that a land reserve be set up for the possible realization of this project after the opening of the line.[35]

The amending DUP investigated from 15 June to 17 July 2020 took this recommendation into account by modifying the profile of the line in the Palaiseau sector. A 100 metres (330 ft) long landing is thus planned between the emergence of the tunnel and the viaduct to allow for the construction of a future station.

Extension to the north

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The line is envisaged to be extended from Versailles to Nanterre beyond 2030. In 2019 this extension is not funded.[36]

Towards an extension to the east

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During the meeting of the steering committee of the Orly Airport station, on 3 May 2016, the Grand Paris company announced that in order not to mortgage the future, protective measures will be taken at the station Aéroport d'Orly to create a possible extension to the east of the line beyond 2030. This measure is taken after requests from local elected officials of Val-de-Marne and Essonne to connect Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, located on RER D, to the Orly Airport area to facilitate its access. Other elected officials want the extension to go to Boissy-Saint-Léger, located on RER A, to the same reasons. Finally, the department of Val-de-Marne via the Orbival association will mobilize elected officials to reflect on this extension.[37]

The public inquiry commission recommends during its publication of 13 July 2016 that the Aéroport d'Orly station be built in such a way as to make possible an extension to RER D.[35]

Tourism

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Line 18 will serve several notable points of Île-de-France:

Rolling Stock

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The proposed rolling stock for line 18 is the MRV (Matériel Roulant Voyageurs), a new automated design with a width of 2.45 metres (8 ft 0 in), using conventional steel wheel on steel rail technology and third rail electrification. Alstom has been chosen to build these trains.

Notes and references

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Map all coordinates using OpenStreetMap

Download coordinates as:

  1. ^ The Société du Grand Paris has chosen the prime contractors and architects of the line 18 du Grand Paris Express[permanent dead link‍], "Société du Grand Paris", 15 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Grand Paris: line 14 will connect Orly airport from 2024". metronews.fr. 9 July 2014. Archived from the original on 13 July 2014. Retrieved 26 January 2017. The Prime Minister has also undertaken to bring forward by three years the link project between Orly and the Saclay pole by the future line 18 of the Grand Paris Express. This link would thus be effective from 2024
  3. ^ Line 18 in consultation, Société du Grand Paris
  4. ^ Press kit of the Interministerial Committee on Grand Paris of April 14, 2015 Archived 17 April 2015 at the Wayback Machine, page 7, accessed 17 April 2015.
  5. ^ Decree n ° 2017-425 of 28 March 2017 declaring of public utility and urgent the work necessary for the realization of the automatic metro section… corresponding to line 18…, published in the "Official Journal" n ° 0076 of 30 March 2017, on legifrance.gouv.fr , consulted on 30 March 2017.
  6. ^ Pauline De Saint-Rémy and Loïc Farge (22 January 2018). "Universal Exhibition 2025: below the announcement of the renunciation of France". rtl.fr. Retrieved 23 January 2018.
  7. ^ "The new roadmap of the Grand Paris Express". societedugrandparis.fr. 22 February 2018. Retrieved 23 February 2018..
  8. ^ Cécile Chevallier (8 January 2019). "Plateau de Saclay: the line 18 will be in service in 2026, we promise!". leparisien.fr. Retrieved 9 January 2019. Michel Cadot [prefect of the Île-de-France region] told Les Echos daily that the section between Massy-Palaiseau station and CEA Saint-Aubin will be operational in 2026.
  9. ^ Cécile Chevallier (16 May 2020). "Line 18 of the Grand Paris express: work on the tunnel will start this summer". leparisien.fr. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  10. ^ "Grand Paris Express : a consortium led by Vinci wins a contract worth nearly 800 million euros". France Bleu. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 16 May 2020.
  11. ^ "Single public inquiry prior to the amending declaration of public utility concerning the project for line 18 of the transport network of the Grand Paris Express connecting the Orly Airport stations (excluded) to Versailles Chantiers, making the town planning documents of the municipalities of Orsay, Palaiseau and Wissous (91) compatible" (in French). 15 June 2020. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Single public inquiry prior to the amending declaration of public utility concerning the project for line 18 of the Grand Paris Express transport network linking Orly Airport stations (excluded) at Versailles Chantiers, bringing the planning documents of the municipalities of Orsay, Palaiseau and Wissous (91) into compatibility: File". www.enquetes-publiques.com. Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Pose des rails sur le viaduc, construction des gares… le chantier de la ligne 18 du métro avance". actu.fr (in French). 17 November 2023. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
  14. ^ Protocol between the State and the Region relating to public transport in Ile-de-France Archived 8 November 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of the City.
  15. ^ Contribution of the State and the Region with public debates – Map of public transport networks Archived 3 March 2011 at the Wayback Machine, Ministry of the City.
  16. ^ "Metro 18 : New line – Orly Airport> Versailles Chantiers". www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr. Archived from the original on 25 September 2019. Retrieved 25 September 2019.
  17. ^ a b en-mouvement-ligne-18 / meeting-from-May-12-to-June-12-2015-to know Meet-up from May 12 to June 12, 2015 to find out more, Société du Grand Paris' '.
  18. ^ / gpe / actualite / massy-displacement-of-underground-existing-networks-1636 Massy: displacement of existing underground networks, Société du Grand Paris, 10 January 2018.
  19. ^ "La Société du Grand Paris awards the first civil engineering contract of line 18" (PDF). societedugrandparis.fr. 15 May 2020. Retrieved 19 May 2020.
  20. ^ "Line 18 of the Grand Paris Express in 3D". Société du Grand Paris. 22 June 2015. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  21. ^ "Operation center [of] Palaiseau". societedugrandparis.fr. 2 September 2020. Retrieved 11 October 2020.
  22. ^ "They protest against the future aerial metro of the Plateau de Saclay". leparisien.fr. 1 November 2015. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  23. ^ "The inhabitants of the Saclay plateau mobilize against the Grand Paris aerial metro project". monsaclay.fr. 10 May 2012. Retrieved 2 April 2016.
  24. ^ "Metro: the counter-project of Wissous, the great "forgotten" of line 18". leparisien.fr. 7 June 2015. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  25. ^ a b "Analysis of the utility of an Orly-Versailles heavy transport type line 18 of the Grand-Paris-Express". Jacqueline Lorthiois (in French). 16 July 2020. Retrieved 16 August 2020.
  26. ^ "Line 18: unfavorable opinion of the general investment-commission for the Orsay-Versailles I section". Journal du Grand Paris. 8 November 2015. Retrieved 31 January 2017.
  27. ^ "Line 18 of the Grand Paris Express: why we give an unfavorable opinion". aut-idf.org. 27 April 2016. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  28. ^ Jean-Gabriel Bontinck (26 October 2017). "Grand Paris Express: shocking proposals from the users association". leparisien.fr.
  29. ^ Pascal Auzannet (2 January 2018). Les Secrets du Grand Paris: Focus on a public decision-making process (in French). Hermann. ISBN 978-2705695798.
  30. ^ "The secrets of Grand Paris… Interview with Pascal Auzannet". Paris-Saclay (in French). Retrieved 22 July 2020.
  31. ^ "For a Europe of energy and climate the Union in the long term". YouTube. 22 June 2018. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  32. ^ "Line 18 of the Grand Paris metro". conseil-etat.fr. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2018.
  33. ^ @asso_usagersidf (14 July 2020). "Ouverture d'une nouvelle enquête publique sur la ligne 18 du GPE jusqu'au 17/7 : l'occasion de réinterroger la pertinence de tout ou partie du projet, d'autant que la facture a gonflé de 1,3 Milliards d'€ ! https://enquetes-publiques.com/Enquetes_WEB/FR/EP20111/Accueil.awp" (Tweet) (in French). Retrieved 16 August 2020 – via Twitter.
  34. ^ "Palaiseau: a petition for a metro stop to Camille Claudel". essoneinfo.fr. 3 March 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  35. ^ a b "Report of the commission of inquiry". enquetepubliqueligne18.fr. 13 July 2016. Retrieved 2 April 2017.
  36. ^ grand-paris-express / line-18 / line 18 – Grand Paris on www.grand-paris.jll.fr
  37. ^ "Grand Paris Express: extension to the east of line 18 made possible". 94.citoyens.com. 4 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.

See also

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