Paris orders tram-trains from CAF for T13 extension

Tram-train line T13 was opened in July 2022 as the first phase of a western orbital express line,18.8 km from St-Cyr to St-Germain-en-Laye, replacing the former Grande Ceinture suburban rail line between St-Germain-en-Laye and Noisy-le-Roi and extending it on street-based light rail, leading to a mixture of left and right-hand running featuring 25kV ac and 750V dc electrification. A 10.2 km extension north to Achères-Ville RER station via Poissy RER is planned to open in 2028. The original line is operated by 11 four-section dual-voltage 42m Alstom Dualis, part of a fleet of 41 used also on lines T4 and T11. 

 

However the options in the original order with Alstom have all been used so a new tender was needed to provide rolling stock for the extension. This time CAF was the successful bidder with a tender of EUR 159M for 15 42m tram-trains (a price of EUR 10.6M per car that probably caused a shock). They will probably be built at the former Bombardier factor in Reichshoffen, Alsace, that Alstom was obliged to dispose of as part of the approval process for the takeover of Bombardier. 

 

The plant is already busy building regional trains for SNCF Voyageurs and is working in a consortium with Alstom for new RER trains for Paris line B. Another possibility is the CAF factory at Bagnères-de-Bigorre that has already built low-floor trams for cities such as Marseille and Montpellier. CAF has so far only built tram-trains for Cadiz in Spain.