Paris 'supermetro' route is confirmed

THE ROUTE for a new high-speed €32bn automatic metro system around the suburbs of Paris has been confirmed, with the first sections expected to be ready before 2018.

The scheme is part of the bigger "Grand Paris" initiative that aims to improve links between industrial and residential parts of the Ile-de-France.

A decree is to be published next month confirming the schedule for the major building project. The new lines are expected to attract an extra two million passengers a year by 2025.

Orly airport will become part of the Paris metro system for the first time, linked to the capital by an extended line 14 that passes through Châtelet and Saint-Lazare. The line will also be extended to Saint-Denis in the north.

A new circular metro line will link the near suburbs, passing through Saint-Cloud, Villejuif, Champigny, Le Bourget and Saint-Denis. The southern half of this line should be ready for 2018, with the northern part expected in 2025.

There will also be a new line linking Orly with Versailles, again in 2015. In total, 72 stations will be served and 200km of new tracks built.

The scheme is being jointly financed by the Ile-de-France regional council and the State.

Le Figaro: see the map of the new route