Since its launch in Turin in February 2006, the fully automated driverless metro of type Val supplied by Siemens Transportation Systems (TS) has developed into a real success story for public urban transport in the northern Italian metropolis. Today, with Italy's Prime Minister, Romano Prodi, attending, the operator of this rapid transit system, Gruppo Torinese Trasporti (GTT), opened a new 2.1 kilometer-long section of Line 1 of the city's metro system. And Siemens TS has supplied both the automation systems and the rolling stock for this three-stop extension.

Turin's Val system now serves a 9.6 kilometer-long stretch with 14 stops, which runs east to west from Fermi station on the outskirts of the city to the station named Porta Nuova, with a connection to the main railway station of the same name in the city center. Another section running south parallel to the Po River, which will have six stations and end at Lingotto station, is to be opened at the end of 2010. Line 1 will then have 21 stations and be 13.1 kilometers in length. During the course of this extension project, GTT took up the option of a further 6 four-car Val trains. The first of these vehicles will go into passenger service in the coming months.

The Siemens Transportation Systems Group has supplied the operations control and safety equipment, the operations control center located at Collegno depot, and 29 four-car metro trains of type Val 208. The Val 208 for Turin has for the first time been constructed as a four-car train with an overall length of 52 meters In this configuration, it offers space for up to 440 passengers. Deployment of the trains can be managed flexibly to match ridership. In rush hour periods, the metro trains run at 2-minute intervals – a massive plus point for passengers and the transit authority alike. The level of capacity planned is for 24,000 passengers per hour and direction.

Construction work on the first two sections of track took some six years, these sections being totally underground with the exception of one segment between the depot in Collegno and Fermi station.

At the beginning of 2006, GTT also awarded Siemens and its consortium partner, Maire Engineering, the contract to perform all maintenance and servicing work. Under the seven-year contract, Siemens will be responsible for the automation system and the operations control center. Maintenance of the communications equipment, closed-circuit TV, and trackworks will be shared between Siemens and its local partner, Maire. The contract makes provisions for transferring the necessary maintenance know-how step by step to GTT.

Apart from Turin, Val fully automated driverless metros are also in operation in several cities in France. In 2007, a second line was opened in Toulouse, as too was a terminal line at Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris. Furthermore, Val lines are also in service at O’Hare Airport in Chicago, USA, and in the Taiwanese capital, Taipei. A Val system is also currently under construction in the Korean city of Uijeongbu.

As world leader in the automation of rapid transit systems, Siemens is currently in the process of equipping several metro systems for fully automated operation: Line 9 in Barcelona, Spain, Line 4 in Budapest, Hungary, Line 1 in Paris, France, and Line 3 in Nuremberg.

Pictures accompanying this press release may be found under
www.siemens.com/ts-pictures/turin-val