SINGAPORE (June 19): ComfortDelGro Corporation, RATP Dev and Alstom have entered into a collaboration agreement to jointly bid for Grand Paris Express (GPE) greenfield metro projects in the Greater Paris region, France, on Friday.
The GPE is a group of new rapid transit lines being built in the Île-de-France region of France.
ComfortDelGro will be taking part in the bid through its newly set-up subsidiary, ComfortDelGro Transit.
The partnership will submit bids for the upcoming GPE lines 16 and 17. The GPE, which will cover a total of 200km of automated metro, is said to be the largest transport project in Europe.
The 29km-long Line 16 will cross three departments in east Paris. It is expected to have a ridership for 200,000 journeys a day.
The 27km-long Line 17 in North Paris will link nine stations, from Saint-Denis Pleyel to Mesnil-Amelot. Between 130,000 and 160,000 journeys are expected on Line 17 daily.
ComfortDelGro Chairman Lim Jit Poh said the move was a “significant” step in furthering the Group’s vision of expanding its rail capabilities beyond Singapore.
“We have been operating light and heavy rail in Singapore for 17 years now and have amassed strong capabilities. This partnership is testimony to how far we have come and we are excited to be participating in the GPE tender,” says Lim.
“I think the three companies complement each other very well and the breadth and depth of experience that they bring to the table cannot be discounted. As a Group, ComfortDelGro will continue to look at opportunities around the world, especially in countries we already operate in as we work at growing our rail portfolio,” he adds.
ComfortDelGro shares closed 3 cents lower, or 1.8% down, at $1.62 on Thursday.
