Announced as a key new line for travel in the Île-de-France region, line 18, with its lovely mint green or icy blue color (which sneakily resembles line 6), will open its doors by 2030, with a first section in service starting October 2026. Miracle of miracles, it will be the only one of the new lines in the Grand Paris Express to stick to the original schedule. And it looks like things are progressing well, since the first train has just made its debut in Île-de-France. But what will it actually look like?
The ultimate metro trains
While, for now, only the first train has been delivered by Alstom, which is responsible for the construction, in the end, there will be fifteen running on the line. Each one will consist of 3 cars.Measuring 47 meters long, it can accommodate up to 350 travelers and travel at an average speed of 65 km/h, with speed peaks at 100 km/h. The various carriages will of course be 100% accessible for people with reduced mobility (PRM), and priority seats will be marked with a pretty bright red. The other seats will come in green and blue, following the same color code as the future MF19 trains that will soon be running on the old lines. And the cherry on top? They will all be equipped with USB ports to stay connected at all times!
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A Highly Anticipated Line
As a reminder, the future 35.2 km long line (14 km of which is elevated), will connect 13 municipalities and feature 10 stations, linking the Versailles-Chantiers station to Orly Airport. This new route will make it possible to reach the most famous of the French castles in less than 30 minutes from the southern airport of the capital. The new line will allow for new connections with lines such as 14 and the RER B and C. Thanks to this new line, the daily life of over 110,000 residents will be transformed, and hopefully for the better! It's exciting because, in addition to serving Orly Airport and the Massy station, it will also stop at major activity hubs in the region, such as Paris-Saclay University and the Orly-Rungis area,
> or even the CEA of Saclay. We can't wait!
© Alstom / Samuel Dhote
