Top News > Siemens – Siemens Mobility wins contract to fully automate Paris Metro Line 13

Siemens – Siemens Mobility wins contract to fully automate Paris Metro Line 13

August 26, 2025
SIEMENS

  • Siemens Mobility to deliver its latest generation CBTC GoA4 driverless automation system to French public transport operator RATP, already in operation on Lines 1, 4, and 14
  • Contract includes new operations control center and equipment for 66 trains

 

Siemens Mobility has secured a major contract from RATP to deliver the new Train Operation Automation System for Paris Metro Line 13. This choice follows the decision made in 2022 by the transport authority Île-de-France Mobilités to automate this line. The project will transform one of the city’s busiest metro lines with Siemens Mobility’s proven CBTC GoA4 technology, enabling fully automated, driverless operations for increased transport capacity and service reliability, and optimized energy consumption. The comprehensive contract includes providing the automation system, a new operations control center, and equipment for 66 trains, with an optional maintenance agreement for up to 30 years. The project builds on Siemens Mobility’s successful track record of implementing driverless technology on Paris Metro Lines 1, 4, and 14, and will enable driverless operation on Line 13 as well by late 2032.

“Our selection for the Line 13 automation project reflects RATP´s continued trust in our expertise. We are proud to support RATP in their ambition to deliver decarbonized, high-performance, and comfortable transport solutions that boost rail attractiveness and contribute to the fight against climate change. Together, we’re shaping the future of mobility in Paris,” said Marc Ludwig, CEO of Siemens Mobility Rail Infrastructure. “We’ve had the privilege of contributing to several successful projects in Paris over the years. With Line 14, we achieved a world first by upgrading an existing driverless system to our advanced CBTC GoA4 technology while simultaneously extending automation to new sections of the line. This breakthrough enables Line 14 to serve up to one million passengers daily at 85-second intervals. With Line 13, we’re building on this expertise, upgrading one of Paris busiest lines to operate fully automatically.”

 

Line 13 Modernization: Full automation project set to transform Paris Metro operations

The comprehensive modernization of Line 13 will begin with the introduction of new rolling stock in 2027, followed by the implementation of an advanced automation system. The line’s current GoA2 system, which operates with drivers controlling doors and safety functions while automatically managing train acceleration and braking, will be upgraded to a fully automated GoA4 system. The project scope includes equipping the new train fleet, renovating the Operations Control Center (OCC), providing comprehensive staff training, and an optional maintenance agreement. 

Siemens Mobility’s CBTC GoA4 automation system will bring major performance enhancements to Line 13, improving the passenger experience. Key benefits include increased transport capacity through reduced train intervals, dynamic frequency adjustment based on passenger demand, service reliability, and optimized energy consumption. The system will also provide real-time passenger information onboard trains, enhancing the overall travel experience. This transformative project will be executed from Siemens Mobility’s global center of excellence for rail automation and cybersecurity in Châtillon, near Paris, where a team of over 500 engineers specializes in system design and development.

 

Line 13: A critical north-south connection in Paris Metro network

With 32 stations along its 24-kilometer route, Line 13 connects the southwest (Châtillon-Montrouge) to the north of Paris (Saint-Denis-Université and Les Courtilles). The line serves major transport hubs including Saint-Lazare and Montparnasse-Bienvenüe. Carrying more than 550,000 passengers daily, it ranks among the network’s busiest lines, with particularly high traffic in its northern section beyond Saint-Lazare, where the line splits into two branches.

 

SourceSiemens

EMR Analysis

More information on Siemens AG: See full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Dr. Roland Busch (President and Chief Executive Officer, Siemens AG): See full profile on EMR Executive Services

 

More information on Siemens Mobility by Siemens AG: https://www.mobility.siemens.com/global/en.html + Siemens Mobility is a separately managed company of Siemens AG. As a leader in intelligent transport solutions for more than 175 years, Siemens Mobility is constantly innovating its portfolio. Its core areas include rolling stock, rail automation and electrification, a comprehensive software portfolio, turnkey systems as well as related services. With digital products and solutions, Siemens Mobility is enabling mobility operators worldwide to make infrastructure intelligent, increase value sustainably over the entire lifecycle, enhance passenger experience and guarantee availability. In fiscal year 2024, which ended on September 30, 2024, Siemens Mobility posted revenue of €11.4 billion and employed around 41,900 people worldwide.

More information on Michael Peter (Chief Executive Officer, Siemens Mobility, Siemens AG): See full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on Marc Ludwig (Chief Executive Officer, Rail Infrastructure, Siemens Mobility, Siemens AG): See full profile on EMR Executive Services

More information on CBTC by Siemens Mobility by Siemens AG: https://www.mobility.siemens.com/global/en/portfolio/rail-infrastructure/mass-transit/communications-based-train-control-system.html + Enabling automated driving through CBTC. 

Our CBTC system Trainguard MT helps solve many cities’ challenges with greater train automation in public transport. Innovative solutions are needed to make cities a better place to live: 100% punctuality, maximum network capacity, energy savings of up to 20% become reality with Trainguard MT.

 

 

 

More information on RATP  Group (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens): https://www.ratp.fr/en/groupe-ratp + The RATP Group deploys its expertise in 8 transport modes in 17 countries on 5 continents. RATP Group is the world’s 3rd largest urban transport operator with 73,500 employees and a € 7,140M Revenue.

RATP Group meets the growing mobility needs in the Île-de-France region, in France and abroad. Investing in urban and interurban mobility means investing to directly improve the daily lives of millions.

Through its long-lasting partnership with Paris and its hundred-year-old transport network, RATP Group has acquired unique expertise with one of the most complex multimodal networks in the world. Propelled by its public service mission, it is constantly innovating to better serve passengers. As such, it actively contributes to the development of the automated metro. Its general and integrated expertise (engineering, operations and maintenance) allows it to design, upgrade and operate transport networks in France and abroad.

More information on Jean Castex (Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, RATP Group): https://ratpgroup.com/en/the-ratp-group/governance/ + https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-castex/ 

 

 

 

More information on Île-de-France Mobilités: https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/ + Every day, Île-de-France Mobilités plans, finances and organises transport for more than 12 million Ile-de-France residents and 21 million visitors. Its role: to think about the future of mobility, to bring the network to life on a daily basis, to support social and ecological transitions.
Together with its public and private partners, the authority organises one of the densest and busiest transport networks in the world – and drives its large-scale development. Find out more about our commitments, our organisation and all the strategic decisions that shape mobility in the Ile-de-France region.

More information on Laurent Probst (Cjairman and Chief Executive Officer, Île-de-France Mobilités): https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/decouvrir/equipes + https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurent-probst-6a91764/ 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EMR Additional Notes: 

  • CBTC (Communication-Based Train Control):
    • Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC) is a modern railway signaling system that uses continuous two-way telecommunications between the train and track equipment. Unlike traditional signaling systems that rely on fixed track circuits, CBTC constantly calculates the exact position and speed of each train, allowing for a more dynamic and precise way to manage rail traffic.
    • This high-accuracy positioning results in a more efficient and safe way to operate trains. Railway systems, particularly metros, are able to run trains more frequently, closer together, and at higher speeds, all while maintaining or even improving safety.

 

 

  • Carbon Dioxide (CO2):
    • Primary greenhouse gas emitted through human activities. Carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere through burning fossil fuels (coal, natural gas, and oil), solid waste, trees and other biological materials, and also as a result of certain chemical reactions (e.g., manufacture of cement). Carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere (or “sequestered”) when it is absorbed by plants as part of the biological carbon cycle.
  • Biogenic Carbon Dioxide (CO2):
    • Biogenic Carbon Dioxide (CO2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) are the same molecule. Scientists differentiate between biogenic carbon (that which is absorbed, stored and emitted by organic matter like soil, trees, plants and grasses) and non-biogenic carbon (that found in all other sources, most notably in fossil fuels like oil, coal and gas).
  • Decarbonization:
    • Reduction of carbon dioxide emissions through the use of low carbon power sources, and achieving a lower output of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.
  • Carbon Footprint:
    • There is no universally agreed definition of what a carbon footprint is.
    • A carbon footprint is generally understood to be the total amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions that are directly or indirectly caused by an individual, organization, product, or service. These emissions are typically measured in tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (CO2e).
    • In 2009, the Greenhouse Gas Protocol (GHG Protocol) published a standard for calculating and reporting corporate carbon footprints. This standard is widely accepted by businesses and other organizations around the world. The GHG Protocol defines a carbon footprint as “the total set of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organization, directly and indirectly, through its own operations and the value chain.”
  • CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent):
    • CO2e means “carbon dioxide equivalent”. In layman’s terms, CO2e is a measurement of the total greenhouse gases emitted, expressed in terms of the equivalent measurement of carbon dioxide. On the other hand, CO2 only measures carbon emissions and does not account for any other greenhouse gases.
    • A carbon dioxide equivalent or CO2 equivalent, abbreviated as CO2-eq is a metric measure used to compare the emissions from various greenhouse gases on the basis of their global-warming potential (GWP), by converting amounts of other gases to the equivalent amount of carbon dioxide with the same global warming potential.
      • Carbon dioxide equivalents are commonly expressed as million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalents, abbreviated as MMTCDE.
      • The carbon dioxide equivalent for a gas is derived by multiplying the tonnes of the gas by the associated GWP: MMTCDE = (million metric tonnes of a gas) * (GWP of the gas).
      • For example, the GWP for methane is 25 and for nitrous oxide 298. This means that emissions of 1 million metric tonnes of methane and nitrous oxide respectively is equivalent to emissions of 25 and 298 million metric tonnes of carbon dioxide.
  • Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) – Carbon Capture, Utilisation and Storage (CCUS):
    • CCS involves the capture of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from industrial processes. This carbon is then transported from where it was produced, via ship or in a pipeline, and stored deep underground in geological formations.
    • CCS projects typically target 90 percent efficiency, meaning that 90 percent of the carbon dioxide from the power plant will be captured and stored.
    • CCUS adds the utilization aspect, where the captured CO2 is used as a new product or raw material.
  • Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR): 
    • Carbon Dioxide Removal encompasses approaches and methods for removing CO2 from the atmosphere and then storing it permanently in underground geological formations, in biomass, oceanic reservoirs or long-lived products in order to achieve negative emissions.
  • Direct Air Capture (DAC): 
    • Technologies that extract CO2 directly from the atmosphere at any location, unlike carbon capture which is generally carried out at the point of emissions, such as a steel plant.
    • Constraints like costs and energy requirements as well as the potential for pollution make DAC a less desirable option for CO2 reduction. Its larger land footprint when compared to other mitigation strategies like carbon capture and storage systems (CCS) also put it at a disadvantage.
  • Carbon Credits or Carbon Offsets:
    • Permits that allow the owner to emit a certain amount of carbon dioxide or other greenhouse gases. One credit permits the emission of one ton of carbon dioxide or the equivalent in other greenhouse gases.
    • The carbon credit is half of a so-called cap-and-trade program. Companies that pollute are awarded credits that allow them to continue to pollute up to a certain limit, which is reduced periodically. Meanwhile, the company may sell any unneeded credits to another company that needs them. Private companies are thus doubly incentivized to reduce greenhouse emissions. First, they must spend money on extra credits if their emissions exceed the cap. Second, they can make money by reducing their emissions and selling their excess allowances.

 

 

  • Cybersecurity: 
    • Computer security, cybersecurity, or information technology security is the protection of computer systems and networks from information disclosure, theft of or damage to their hardware, software, or electronic data, as well as from the disruption or misdirection of the services they provide.