Hutchinson supplies key components for Paris metro upgrade

Paris – Hutchinson SA has supplied a range of key components for Alstom’s MF19 metro trains, which entered service on the Paris network last month.

The first units were deployed on Line 10 on 16 Oct, with further roll-out planned across various line, reported Hutchinson 13 Nov.

The new units are provided for an Ile-de-France Mobilites project which aims to renew half of the metro rolling stock in Paris by 2033.

Hutchinson said it was the sole supplier of the trains’ primary and secondary suspension systems.

The primary systems, according to Hutchinson, are designed to filter vibrations, improve ride comfort and support vehicle stability while the secondary suspension includes a “critical pneumatic membrane.”

The MF19 trains are also fitted with Hutchinson brake hoses for car-to-bogie connections – with qualification testing close to completion – as well as lubrication hoses and roof water-recovery hoses.

According to Hutchinson, the project involved multiple French sites and several internal rubber-processing disciplines.

“Key systems like the secondary suspension and the inter-car gangway are the result of a complex assembly involving multiple rubber trades and different manufacturing sites,” it concluded.