• RATP is extending its line 4 with the opening of two new stations, Barabara and Bagneux-Lucie Aubrac.

  • Train automation has been postponed, to prioritize access for users in January 2022.

  • In total, 1.8 kilometers of tracks were added, while a breakdown center for light train maintenance was inaugurated last June.

Deserted lanes and corridors. This is the strange picture offered by the Bagneux-Lucie Aubrac metro station, which came out of the ground to accommodate the terminus of line 4 in January 2022. Here, at a depth of 7 meters, the development work is distributed in two stages. One, dedicated to extending the tracks by 1.8 kilometers, must prepare to accommodate the 37,000 daily travelers on the terminus in Bagneux, while the second station called Barabara is the subject of the last finishing touches. RATP and Ile-de-France Mobilités are also planning a connection to the Grand Paris Express in 2025.

As for the line automation stage, the door fittings have already been carried out between Clignancourt and Montrouge, with a view to using trains without drivers.

“The fact that the train is moving on its own seems simple, but in reality it takes a considerable amount of work to avoid collisions and to ensure that the train operates correctly all the time,” explains Sandrine Sérouart, RATP project manager.

To support the project, the company also has its arguments: “The absence of conductors allows more regularity, and especially a reinforcement of the lines.

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Commissioned in January 2022 before automation in 2023

The opening date of the new tracks has been postponed "from mid-2021 to mid-2022". Or one more year: the automation and the extension of line 4 will not be done at the same time. “We wanted to prioritize the commissioning of the extension for January 2022, and then focus on the automation program. It is a real choice. Ultimately, all automatic trains should be in operation by mid-2023, while the train operation automation systems (SAET) are being developed.

Behind this decision, the impact of the health crisis, but also a problem during a phase of tests that weighed in the balance.

The communication having been broken between the tracking devices on the ground and those of the train, a tune-up was obligatory.

“It is very dangerous when the train does not transmit its position, underlines Sandrine Sérouart.

In this kind of case, it is conditioned to shut down.

»Tune-ups that take time to ensure network security.

A service center for light maintenance

Another major development, the Train Repair Center (CDT), located at the end of the line, will accommodate all types of six-shuttle trains, both for light maintenance (door problems, braking) and for modifications. for full automation.

Under the ground of Bagneux, lit by neon, two raised tracks face each other, trains of line 14 are parked, before a complete recalibration of the systems.

While the exterior is getting a makeover, the interior has not changed for users accustomed to mauve-green-red armchairs.

To supply this important traffic, RATP is recovering three types of trains, which it will adapt to new on-board technologies.

It will also invest in additional trainsets.

In total, 52 trains will run on the line in 2023.

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