This year, Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL) placed two major orders to modernise its automated metro system, procuring new vehicles for lines 1 and 2 of the fully automated underground railway (known as VAL). Most recently, 57 new third-generation VAL 208 NG3 automatic metro vehicles were ordered from Siemens. At the beginning of the year, the order for 27 Alstom trains for line 1 was increased to a total of 42 units, even though delivery of the trains has already been delayed by several years.
57 new metro trains for Line 2 from Siemens Mobility
On 17 October 2025, the MEL Council announced its latest major contract: Siemens Mobility was commissioned to supply 57 new VAL 208 NG3 automatic metro trains for Line 2. The contract is worth €445.657 million (plus VAT).
The details:
- Line 2 currently has a fleet of 143 trains from three generations: 38 VAL 206 A (from 1983), 45 VAL 206 B BIS (from 1986) and 60 VAL 208 AG (from 1999).
- The 57 new trains will replace 30 trains from the VAL 206 series that have reached the end of their life cycle and will also increase the total fleet by 27 trains – a capacity increase of approximately 30% for Line 2.
- The new trains are more modern in design: improved accessibility, more energy-efficient drive systems, interior redesign to optimise space and maintenance, and compliance with stricter fire safety standards.
- According to a Siemens press release, around 55% of the project will be carried out in France; the trains will be manufactured in Europe, with project management based in Toulouse and Lille.
- The first delivery is scheduled for the end of 2028.
- Line 2 is 31 km long with 44 stations, making it the longest line in the Lille metro system.
Alstom – 15 additional metro trains (Line 1)
It was already announced in January 2025 that Alstom has been awarded the contract to supply MEL with 15 additional automated metro trainsets, each 52 metres long. The contract is valued at around €210 million.
These 15 trains complement the 27 units previously ordered, bringing the total number of new-generation trains to 42. The original contract between Alstom and the Métropole Européenne de Lille (MEL) was signed in 2012. It initially covered the supply of 27 new 52-metre-long, fully automated trains as well as the modernisation of the signalling system (Urbalis Fluence). Commissioning was originally scheduled for 2016 but was subsequently postponed several times – first to 2020 and then to 2023 – as the integration of the new signalling system with the existing VAL infrastructure proved to be considerably more complex than expected. According to the latest information (as of 2025), delivery of the new trains is now planned to begin in 2028.
The delays mainly concerned the automatic control system Urbalis Fluence, which is being deployed for the first time worldwide in Lille and required significant adaptations to the existing infrastructure.
Technical highlights:
- The new four-car train type can accommodate up to 545 passengers; it is the first time that Lille will operate a fully walk-through trainset (“boa concept”).
- For the first time in a VAL system originally developed by Matra and later Siemens, a train from another manufacturer – in this case Alstom – will be introduced.
- The trains will be equipped with Alstom’s Urbalis Fluence automatic train control and signalling system, including train-to-train communication.
- Delivery is scheduled to begin in 2028, with the new trains intended to replace the existing VAL 208 vehicles.
- With this new rolling stock, MEL aims to achieve a peak headway of 66 seconds, placing Lille’s metro network among the most frequent in the world.
Strategic and technical significance for MEL
The two contracts illustrate that MEL’s growth strategy focuses not primarily on network expansion, but on the modernisation and capacity enhancement of the existing system. Both lines will continue to operate within the VAL system (rubber-tyred automatic metro) with fully automated, driverless operation, ensuring high frequency and operational flexibility.
Several objectives are being pursued with the renewal:
- Extension of the fleet’s service life and replacement of the oldest trains (e.g., VAL 206 from 1983)
- Increase in the number of trains, enabling higher frequency, particularly on Line 2 (+30 %)
- Improvement of comfort and safety (compliance with new standards, better accessibility, modern interiors)
- Enhanced energy efficiency and optimisation of operating costs
- National value creation (“Made in France”) and strengthening of the local industrial base
- Increased competitiveness in the transport market, making public transit more attractive compared to private cars
