The Urban Community of Lille and Transpole (manager of the Lille metropolitan area public transport network) have chosen a joint consortium made up of Alstom and SAFRA for the renovation of the VAL, the city’s driverless metro.
Worth a total of €11 million, including approximately €5.2 million for Alstom and €5.8 million for SAFRA, this contract, signed on December 18, includes the modernization of 38 first-generation Val 206 metro trains, rolling stock designed and manufactured by Alstom in the early 1980s.
The renovation of the Lille VAL will be carried out on a 50/50 basis by Alstom and SAFRA
- Alstom is in charge of the management and coordination of the project, the modernization of the bearings and door mechanisms, the overhaul of the traction motors and the tests. All of these modernization operations will be carried out at the Alstom site in Le Creusot.
- SAFRA will be in charge of the interior and exterior renovation of the metro cars in its railway workshops in Albi: renovation of the exterior and interior livery, replacement of the floor covering and renovation of the floors, replacement of the seats and installation of partitions with ischiatic supports.
The modernization operations will begin in January 2007 for delivery of the first trains in the third quarter of 2007 and will be completed in August 2009.
Asltom is one of the leaders in the metro market with a 20% market share. Today, one out of every four metros in the world was built by Alstom and our metros carry 6 billion passengers every year.
As for SAFRA, it is a key player in the renovation of rail transport equipment. This year, SAFRA has also won a significant contract, that of the Marseille metro.