The MP 05 is a rubber-tyredelectric multiple unit with driverless operation ordered by the RATP in 2005 for the Paris Métro. The original 49 units were designed to replace the older MP 89s on line 1 in order to automate the line. An additional fleet of 18 MP 05s was ordered for deployment on the line 14 by 2017 in order to improve service frequencies and to prepare for the line's northern extension towards Mairie de Saint-Ouen, as well as provide service enhancements to Line 1. The trainsets are being constructed by Alstom. The MP 05 trains are the second Paris Métro rolling stock to include air-conditioning, with the MF 01 rolling stock being the first.
History
Automation of Line 1
Following the success of the completely automated line 14 during the early 2000s, the RATP planned to automate additional lines. Automation would not only allow for Paris to remain as a model for technological innovations in the railway industry but also would permit an increase in the number of lines in normal service when RATP workers are striking. The RATP first focused on line 1, the busiest line of the network and the line most used by tourists. However, the line's MP 89 CC rolling stock was not equipped to be automated. The RATP opted to replacing the rolling stock rather than retrofitting it since the existing MP 89 trainsets could be repurposed as-is to replace the aging MP 59s on line 4. On October 23, 2015, Alstom and the RATP celebrated the production of the 67th and final MP 05 railcar .
Manufacturer
The RATP signed a contract with Alstom, the only manufacturer with experience in constructing rubber-tyred metros, on October 20, 2005 for the delivery of 49 MP 05 trains, with the option of an additional ten trains, spare parts, and related tools. The total order was for €474 million —about €9.7 million per train. The Alstom factories in France and Canada working under the contract are:
Valenciennes, constructing the trains and integrating the related equipment;
Le Creusot, constructing the bogies;
Ornans, constructing the motors;
Tarbes, constructing the traction equipment;
Villeurbanne and Montreal,, constructing the boarding systems.
Deliveries and service on Line 1
began constructing the first trains in 2008 in Valenciennes. The first train was delivered to the RATP at the beginning of May 2009, to the service depot at Fontenay. At the end of March 2010, the second train was delivered to the same depot. At the ground-breaking for the construction of automatic boarding doors in the stations, the press was invited to view train 502 on June 12, 2009. On November 3, 2011, trains 501 through 509 went into regular passenger service. As of April 1, 2013, there are 49 trains are in regular passenger service, with an option for 10 more trains if needed :fr:MP 05.
On May 27, 2009, the STIF ordered four MP 05 trains at a cost of around €50 million to supplement line 14's existing fleet of MP 89CA trains. These four trains, which entered service beginning in 2013, are in the same RATP livery as older trains on the line. An additional 14 more trains were later ordered in preparation for the northern extension towards Mairie de Saint-Ouen. The additional trains will be in joint RATP–STIF livery. it is expected that around 2020 the next generationMP 14 railcars of 8-car formations will begin to replace the MP 89CA and MP 05 stock. This will allow both precedent stock to be reassigned to other lines, such as Line 1 or Line 4.
Reinforcement of Line 1
As of May 2015, five additional trains have been placed into service on Line 1. These trains are numbered 550 to 554, and are painted in the RATP/STIF livery. This leaves railcars 585 through 594 to be assigned to Line 14.
Features and appearance
The MP 05s are based on the MP 89CAs and their exterior appearance is the same; however, the MP 05 have brighter LED-type headlights compared to the MP 89. The RATP opted for an interior also similar to that of the MP 89, with only the colors differing: the blue and gray tones replaced by an off-white tone, the floor colored brick red, and the seats with a rainbow pattern, in a design was conceived by Yo Kaminagai. The trains are the first production sets to be equipped with the Dilidam multimedia system and security cameras; as well, they are the first rubber-tired rolling stock with an air conditioning system, with an output of 11 kW, housed on the roof. Most trains are equipped with rubber interconnecting gangways that are similar to that of the MP 89CA stock. However, trains #533 and onward are equipped with MF 01 type gangways.
Technical specifications
The technical specifications are similar to those of the MP 89, with some modern adaptations such as the electrical system, a multimedia system, and climate control. The MP 05's traction system is the same as the MF 01's. The MP 05 will have a lower noise level than the MP 89 due to improvements in the transmission.
Length:
Width:
Height:
Composition: S+N+N+N+N+S
Number of seats: 144
Number of folding seats: 72
Standing passenger capacity: 578
Three doors per car
Power: 6 x
Speed:
Starting acceleration:
Other Systems
While the MP 05 stock is only confined to the Paris Metro, there is speculation that a variant could eventually be produced for the Lausanne Metro's M3 Line. Plans for the new line have indicated for rolling stock that is consistent with the MP 89CA variant stock that currently operates along the M2 Line.
