Metro line 14 extended, a step towards Greater Paris

For the president of Ile-de-France Mobilités Valérie Pécresse, the prospect of inaugurating this section of 5,8 kilometers between Gare Saint-Lazare and Mairie de Saint-Ouen is "a moment of pure happiness".

"We had this line 14, which did not come, which did not come, which did not come ...", she quips, referring to the many delays suffered by the site, due to flooding and of Covid-19, in particular.

The idea of ​​extending this automatic metro line to Saint-Ouen dates back to 2007: it then appeared as the most satisfactory solution to relieve the north of line 13. With the promise to relieve it of a quarter of its traffic.

Ms. Pécresse boasts "one of the most modern lines in the world", the only one in the Paris network that is accessible to the disabled, too.

The extension of line 14 - which is still sometimes called "Meteor" - must also better serve rapidly developing sectors with the new Batignolles district, the Paris Tribunal or the many offices emerging from the ground in Saint -Or where the regional council of Ile-de-France is installed.

The new section has four rather monumental stations - that of Porte de Clichy, serving the Tribunal, however, will not open until January - as well as a depot built to accommodate the latest, longer trainsets, purchased from Alstom.

Beyond that, work is in full swing for new extensions both to the north, to Saint-Denis Pleyel (Seine-Saint-Denis) in 2023 if all goes well, and to the south, to the airport of 'Orly (Essonne) in 2024. With the change in the automation system, still supplied by the German group Siemens.

"We will be at the rendezvous of the Olympics on both sides," assures Louis Villié, the director of the line at RATP.

RATP showcase

Pleyel will indeed host the Olympic Village for the 2024 Games. At the other end, the connection to the airport is considered strategic.

"It will of course be the line for the Olympics, but not only: it will be the line of everyday life", underlines Valérie Pécresse, who speaks of "a new backbone of Ile-de-France" benefiting Val-de- Marne and Seine-Saint-Denis.

Line 14 will then be 27 kilometers long. And its attendance is expected to drop from 550.000 travelers per day (before the coronavirus pandemic) to 1 million.

"It will be the most important line of the network", approves Louis Villié. And also "the first line of the Grand Paris metro". It will indeed connect to the supermetro currently under construction around the capital at Pleyel, Villejuif (Val-de-Marne) and Orly.

The Société du Grand Paris (SGP), responsible for building this supermetro, is also financing 58% of the 1,4 billion euros spent to extend line 14 to Saint-Ouen and 100% of the two following sections to Pleyel. and Orly (850 million and 2,8 billion euros, respectively).

Ile-de-France Mobilités for its part finances rolling stock (620 million for the moment) and covers the operating deficit.

For the RATP, the challenge now is to do as well as on the current 8,6 kilometers of the line, very Parisian, where passengers are, according to it, 98% satisfied. "We really want this to be the showcase of the RATP group. And this is where we want to show our know-how", emphasizes Louis Villié.

The stakes are high at a time when the sector is gradually opening up to competition.

Valérie Pécresse has also recently tackled the RATP, praising line 14, automatic as will be the other lines of Greater Paris: "Who says automatic says not impacted by strikes, a subject always sensitive to travelers."

"Even when it is automatic, there are always people to welcome people in the stations", replied Catherine Guillouard, CEO of the Régie.

In fact, the staff assigned to line 14 will increase from 180 to 250 people.