Driverless operation can increase the capacity of a metro line by up to 50 percent because the trains can run at shorter headways. In Paris, automatic operation will achieve a service interval of 85 seconds. If passenger volume suddenly rises – during major events, for example – additional trains can be deployed. These are automatically sent into operation straight from the depot or the sidings, enabling trains to be inserted at short notice into available gaps in the service schedule.

At the same time, the automatic, energy-optimized control reduces the energy consumption of Line 14 by as much as 15 percent. An intelligent, energy-optimized running profile ensures that full use is always made of the journey time. Trains do not arrive “over-punctually”; instead, they adjust their speed automatically to avoid unnecessary energy consumption.

Beside the existing Line 14, Siemens had equipped Line 1 with the fully automatic Trainguard MT train protection system for driverless operation in 2011. Metro Line 1 is the oldest and most heavily frequented underground line in Paris. Linking the east and west of the city along 17 kilometers of track, it carries as many as 725,000 passengers every day. This was the first time that such an important metro line had been automated without disrupting revenue passenger service.