MF 19

The MF 19 (Métro Fer appel d'offres 2019; 2019 procurement rail metro) is a class of rolling stock being built for the Paris Métro. It was ordered to replace existing trains on Lines 3, 3bis, 7, 7bis, 8, 10, 12 and 13, starting in 2025. It is being built by Alstom. Lines 3bis and 7bis will use 4-car trains, an upgrade from the current 3-car sets. Lines 3, 7, 8, 10, 12 and 13 will use 5-car sets.

Background
In the years 2008 to 2013, RATP replaced MF 67 trains with MF 01 on Lines 2, 5, and 9, thus decreasing the average age of Parisian rolling stock. However, many lines still have trains that are reaching the end of their lifespan. Since the MF 67 trains, which have an average age of 43 to 53 years are getting older, RATP planned to replace those trains as well as the MF 77 trains, which are around 40 years old. Additionally, the decision was made to replace the MF 88 trains due to their lack of reliability.

The call for tenders was launched in May 2017, and potential candidates that responded to the call included the Italian-Japanese Ansaldo-Hitachi, the Spanish Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles, and the French-Canadian consortium Alstom-Bombardier. Originally, the contract was supposed to replace at least 338 trains.

The first trains are expected to be put into service in 2024. Île-de-France Mobilités asked RATP, Paris' transportation authority, to accelerate the replacement of trains on lines 3bis, 7bis, and 10. The initial schedule, presented in April 2019, included the following timeline: line 10 in 2024, lines 3bis and 7bis between 2024 and 2026, line 13 in 2027, and between 2026 and 2030 on lines 3, 7, 8, and 12.

Contract award and production
On November 29, 2019, Île-de-France Mobilités announced that the contract was awarded to the French-Canadian consortium Alstom-Bombardier for a maximum order of 410 MF 19 trains, at a cost of 2.9 billion euros. The firm order consists of 44 trains for lines 3bis, 7bis, and 10.

The contract was signed at the end of 2019. The deployment of the new trains was initially planned to start from 2024 and finish by 2035.

Since March 2020, Bombardier Transport employees have been working on the design of the MF 19 trains remotely. In March 2022, the production of MF 19 metro trains began. In November 2022, during a visit to the Alstom factories, a front end frame of a train was presented, showing the choice of a front end design based on the second option among the three choices presented during the bidding process in 2019.

On December 7, 2022, Île-de-France Mobilités approved the adaptation works for stations and infrastructure on lines 13 and 8 to accommodate the new trains. The expected start of service is estimated to be in 2027 for line 13 and 2030 for line 8. For line 13, some trains will later be operated in automatic mode as part of the planned full automation by 2035.

In March 2023, Île-de-France Mobilités announced a modified delivery schedule for the trains. It is expected to start in 2024 with the replacement of MF 67 trains on line 10, followed by the replacement of MF 88 trains in 2025, followed by MF 67 trains on line 3bis in the following year, MF 77 trains on line 13 in 2027, MF 67 trains on line 12 in 2028, MF 77 trains on line 8 in 2029, MF 67 trains on line 3 in 2030, and finally MF 77 trains on line 7 in 2032.

However, due to many delays, it was announced in December 2023 that the MF 19 will enter in service on line 10 in end-2025.

Characteristics
The trains will exist in two versions, one with a driver's cab (designated CC) and another without a cab (designated CA). They will be equipped with the Systèmes de contrôle commande des trains du métro de Paris communications-based train control system for equipped lines, and with the PA135 driver-attended automatic train control system, which is already in place in several Paris metro lines.

As part of the possible automation of line 13, for which studies were commissioned in April 2019, an automatic version (CA) of the MF 19 trains may be ordered. The rolling stock can also be converted as the trains are designed to transition from manual to automatic operation to accompany the automation of the Paris Metro network. The automation was approved on December 7, 2022, by the board of directors of Île-de-France Mobilités. The trains are expected to initially operate in manual mode before being converted to automatic mode for full automation of the line by 2035.

The manufacturer Bombardier announced a 20% reduction in energy consumption compared to the MF 77 trains through the full use of regenerative braking and full LED lighting.

The MF 19 is expected to be available in three versions:


 * A short version 62 m in length with four cars for lines 3bis and 7bis.
 * A medium version 76 m in length with five cars for lines 3, 10, and 12.
 * A long version 77.4 m in length with five cars for lines 7, 8, and 13.

This long version is planned for lines currently equipped with MF 77 trains, which required relocating operational equipment at the front of the stations (such as clocks or rearview screens) to niches at the beginning of the tunnel, creating a noticeable difference in the appearance of the trains.