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The worst line of the Paris metro soon to be automated?

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The Editor

© Marco Taliani de Marchio, Shutterstock.

It’s the fourth Parisian line to undergo this technological transformation: line 13, one of the busiest lines in the Paris metro, will be 100% automatic in a few years. We’ll explain it to you. 

After lines 1, 4, and 14, one of the busiest lines in the Paris metro network is about to see its future transformed. And if that means improved comfort and reduced noise, we are definitely excited! Sometimes loved, often hated, line 13 will become the fourth fully automated line in Paris, but we'll need to be patient before this transformation is complete.


Will line 13 be transformed soon? 

With around 550,000 passengers each day – as highlighted by Actu Paris – line 13 is the fifth most frequented line in the Paris metro, following lines 1, 4, 9, and 7. This has certainly raised concerns among our friends at the Île-de-France Mobilités board, who voted on December 7, 2022, for a comprehensive automation.

Blue sky line to relieve daily traffic. 

In February 2024, Valérie Pécresse, president of Île-de-France Mobilités, reminded us on BFMTV that this automation project is not just around the corner: «We need to go, station by station, to install the doors and the automation systems». And there are plenty of stations on line 13, with no less than 32 between Saint-Denis-Université/Les Courtilles and Châtillon-Montrouge (its two termini), making it the second longest line after line 14. It goes without saying that the automation of the line will take time, a lot of time.


A 100% Automatic Line on the Horizon by 2032

The latest news? According to AFP, Île-de-France Mobilités has finally entrusted the project on August 26, 2025, to the German company Siemens Mobility. They had already equipped line 13 with a partial automation system called GoA2, as Actu Paris reminds us, which allows trains to speed up and brake automatically (while the driver still handles the rest). The new project, however, will equip the tracks and shuttles with sensors, enabling driverless metro operations – just like on lines 1, 4, and 14 – and also 66 new-generation trains, also known as MF19.

But hang tight, folks, because of course, this project is far from being completed. Siemens Mobility has also told AFP about a delivery expected in 7 years: “The project will start as soon as possible…”

and the line will be fully automated with the launch of the first driverless shuttles starting in 2032. » In the meantime, Parisians are worried about all the upcoming construction work…