The Parisian metro operator RATP is bringing its exceptional savoir-faire to Australia: Sydney Metro announced in December 2022 the award of Sydney Metro – Western Sydney Airport Line to Parklife Metro Consortium in which RATP Dev, RATP Group’s international subsidiary, is the operations and maintenance partner.
Rail Express spoke to Yo Kaminagai, RATP senior adviser for urban mobility design, and Ross de la Motte, principal for Hassell, Parklife Metro’s architecture firm, to discuss RATP Dev’s skillset with a focus on station design, and the importance of collaboration to deliver successful rail mass transit projects.
Technical and design knowledge for urban mobility hubs
RATP Dev’s history is intertwined with RATP Group’s success story. The company, established 120 years ago in Paris, has become a world-class actor. Today, the Group is the third largest urban transport operator in the world, partner to more than 780 cities in 15 countries, and transporting 1.5 billion people each year.
With more than a century operating the Paris metro, RATP Group has developed a recognised expertise in the operation of mass transit networks. When focusing on urban mobility hubs, this expertise ranges from designing one of the most complex and advanced signage systems to constant innovation in passenger information, as well as overhaul and renewal of almost 400 metro and ‘RER’ commuter rail stations.
In Paris, beyond operations and maintenance, RATP is also delivering major projects, such as metro line extensions. In 2024, on time for the Olympic Games, RATP will deliver seven
new stations on line 14, and six new stations on line 11.
This achievement is made possible due to in-house station design and service design experts, who are knowledgable in aspects such as passenger flows and crowd management, signage, and universal accessibility.
Those experts are particularly involved when RATP decides to collaborate with architects for new stations design, or for some key stations’ renewals.
Yo Kaminagai, RATP senior adviser for urban mobility design, world-renowned expert in station design and service design, highlights the partnership approach forged by its parent company as another key success factor for the delivery of brand-new stations.
He cites one example is the successful collaboration with architects Patrick Berger and Jacques Anziutti for the renewal of Châtelet-Les-Halles, Paris’ central intermodal hub (eight metro and suburban train lines connecting underground).
“They understood our vision for a multipurpose central hub and delivered the perfect balance between functionality and urban integration. The result is an energy-efficient structure also serving as a new space for Parisians: a garden, a shelter, a cultural hub,” he said.
More recently, each new station of Line 14 South extension to Paris Orly international airport has been designed by a different architect to tailor the urban integration and station design to the local identity for passengers.
Kaminagai has been instrumental in promoting collaborations between
various experts.
“We are proud to be partnering with high-profile architects in the delivery of new stations on Line 14. Working hand-in-hand with architects, designers and field experts has proven to be the key in delivering complex works of infrastructure,” he said.
“It allows for stations to be designed according to our clients’ requirements, with improved functionality and maintenance thanks to field experts feedback, while placing our passengers at the centre of our work.”
Employing the French savoir-faire in stations all over the world
Through RATP Dev, RATP Group has aspired to bring its operational excellence and specific skillset related to station design and urban integration to cities and regions across the globe, aiming to transform urban transportation durably.
The company’s fine-tuned approach features adaptability and world-class engineering, developing high-quality solutions specific to each town by drawing from its experience and collaboration mindset with the local stakeholders.
One example is the Green Line three in Cairo, Egypt, operated by RATP Dev since 2021.
The takeover of this existing line is yet another demonstration of RATP Group’s technical skills in operations and maintenance brought to a complex brownfield rail line. RATP Dev has managed a smooth transition from the previous operator, with a continuous focus on customer service excellence, resulting in tremendous added value for passengers’ experience.
In two years of operations, the customer satisfaction rate increased by 15 points, reaching 90 per cent, and continues to improve. This was paralleled by a growth in monthly users.
Among the initiatives leading to this improvement are:
Better passenger perception of Line three with new visuals, sound identity, and passenger information, including an easier-to-understand network map and a line thermometer indicating intermodal hubs and monuments.
An intensive digital communication strategy and advertising the range of the fares in partnership with the main Ministries of the New Capital and on university campuses.
Cultural initiatives with local musicians and artists deployed in stations.
Shops and services in the stations including Wifi in stations and onboard.
Bringing decades of rail experience to new partnerships in Australia
With its experience operating high-performing rail networks globally and a presence in Asia-Pacific, RATP Group is ready to expand its operations in Australia and launch collaborations.
The partnership with Hassell has produced fruitful results and an exchange of knowledge that were significant for the Sydney Metro – Sydney Western Airport project.
Ross de la Motte, Hassell’s principal, explains the reasons behind such a collaboration.
“It is easy to work with RATP Dev because we have shared values and common goals. We are creating real value, giving our client more than they expected.” He said.
Hassell’s project Principals for the Parklife Metro Consortium travelled to Paris to meet the RATP teams and visit RATP’s latest urban hubs. Similarly, RATP Group’s experts travelled to Sydney to work with the Consortium partners. Ross de la Motte fondly remembers when he first met Kaminagai.
“We shared our project portfolios and discussed our respective design philosophies and core values. There was mutual admiration for each other’s work and with this early alignment confidence grew quickly founded on trust”, remarking how “well both our companies clicked from the outset.”
De la Motte firmly believes that shared values, technical knowledge and transparent communication made the difference.
“Our working relationship with RATP Dev starts with trust and a ‘can do’ attitude. When all parties bring exceptional technical skills and a desire to create beauty and value at every step, combine these with flexibility and responsiveness, and commitment to deliver on time, then you have a great working model.”
The combination of excellent technical knowledge with a strong partnership mindset proves for successful collaborations. RATP Dev is delighted to continue nurturing this relation, teaming up with Hassell and John Holland for the Suburban Rail Loop in Melbourne.
With the support of inhouse station design experts and a proven track record of prosperous partnerships, RATP Dev aims to demonstrate the benefits of its comprehensive technical skillset in Australia.
From delivering complex rail infrastructures to operating and maintaining high-capacity fully automated metro lines, the company takes pride in being a trustworthy partner for local governments, with the constant commitment to deliver excellent service performance and world-class customer service.
