SPIE installs systems for 5 stations and 14 km of tunnels on Paris Metro's line 14 southern extension

Saint-Ouen, 6 November 2024 – SPIE CityNetworks, a French subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has completed work for the southern extension of line 14 on the Paris Metro, which tunnels underground for 14 km and includes 5 new stations that connect the line's previous terminus, Olympiades, to the new Orly Airport station. SPIE CityNetworks headed up a consortium contracted to complete the "low-voltage and low-current" works and applied its technical expertise to improve connectivity between these stations. This operation showcases the extensive expertise of SPIE, which was founded in 1900 to electrify the Paris Metro.

In 2021, SPIE CityNetworks was selected by the transport operator RATP to manage the project, planning and work and it has undertaken all the low-voltage work and fitted the standard and emergency lighting for the southern extension of line 14.

This involved the installation of:

-     lighting equipment for public and private areas in stations, ancillary structures and tunnels

-     power supply systems in stations (lifts, ventilation, smoke extraction, operating equipment, etc.)

-    electrical outlets (power sockets for fire-fighters, electrical terminals, etc.) and PLCs for electrical substations.

After an approximately nine-month planning phase, the work was carried out between June 2021 and June 2024. In total, systems were put in place for 5 stations, 14 km of tunnels and 12 ancillary structures. Up to 200 people were working during the busiest period of this operation.

SPIE CityNetworks was flexible as it delivered this project, working to a tight schedule and addressing a series of challenges that included cable supply and equipment storage management as well as managing resources in a way that accommodated for surges in activity.

"We're proud to have helped render this extension operational, an extension that makes line 14 the main north-south link of the Paris Metro. Our collaborative and flexible approach was one of the main factors in successfully completing this complex, multi-party operation," acknowledges SPIE CityNetworks Operations Director, Guillaume Bouvatier. 

‘The tight schedule was one of the main challenges we had to overcome; this extension project was carried out with a view to being ready for the largest international sports competition to be held in Paris this summer,’ adds Luc Sauze, managing director of SPIE CityNetworks. ‘It is a real collective success, with everyone involved playing their part to the full, including the client, main contractors, partners and suppliers’.

RATP was the contracting authority appointed by Société du Grand Paris, while RATP and ELIOS managed the project. Work was carried out in collaboration with Semeru-Fayat.

Key figures:

• 14 km of tunnels fitted out

• 60 km of line infrastructure installed

• 750 km of cables laid, 250 km of which in tunnels

• 10,800 light fittings installed

• 350 fire boxes installed

• 1800 junction boxes installed

• 680,000 person-hours