Singapore’s leading transport company, ComfortDelGro Corporation, has ventured into France’s rail operations market. This marks a crucial milestone in the firm’s global growth strategy. The company, through its subsidiary ComfortDelGro Transit (CDGT), recently landed a deal to run rail services in the Greater Paris region.
The contract involves operating the South sector of Line 15, a part of the ambitious Grand Paris Express (GPE) metro program. This 200-km greenfield project is expected to significantly enhance the transit infrastructure in the Greater Paris region. The deal encompasses metro services across 16 stations, traversing 22 cities, and covering a distance of 33 kilometres.
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The new automated line, the first in the Grand Paris Express project, is anticipated to commence passenger services by 2025. Daily ridership is projected to reach approximately 390,000. This contract, set for an initial term of six years, could extend to nine years.
The agreement represents a significant expansion in ComfortDelGro’s overseas rail operations, less than two years after winning a contract to run rail services in Auckland, New Zealand. ComfortDelGro bagged the Paris deal as part of an international consortium known as ORA. The consortium includes French companies RATP Dev and Alstom, alongside ComfortDelGro.
Cheng Siak Kian, ComfortDelGro’s Group CEO, stated, “We, through our subsidiary, SBS Transit, are also collaborating with RATP Dev to bid for upcoming projects in Singapore, namely the Jurong Region Line and the Cross Island Line.” With RATP Dev’s international expertise, the companies aim to develop localised solutions that enhance rail reliability and local rail engineering competencies.
RATP Dev’s CEO, Hiba Farès, also expressed enthusiasm, noting that the extension of this historic public transit network would bolster the region’s interconnectivity.
This new venture boosts ComfortDelGro’s operated international rail network to 210 km, a 16% increase over its current network in Singapore and Auckland. The company is also participating in a rail tender in Stockholm, Sweden, in partnership with Go-Ahead Nordic, going head-to-head with SMRT Corporation.
The news comes amidst a competitive transport landscape in Singapore, dominated by ride-hailing companies like Gojek. Last year, ComfortDelGro teamed up with Gojek to explore solutions to industry challenges, including driver shortages.
This announcement, based on a report from Marketing Interactive, underlines ComfortDelGro’s growth trajectory and strategic efforts to enhance its global rail footprint.
