The European Investment Bank (EIB) could provide a EUR 145 million loan for the extension of Line B of the Toulouse metro, at an eligible cost of EUR 296 million.

If approved, this will be the third and final tranche allocated by the EIB as part of a framework loan signed in 2018 for the implementation of the urban mobility strategy in the Toulouse metropolitan area, which is included in the Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan (SUMP) running from 2020 to 2030.

The loan will be granted to the public transport authority SMTCAT Tisséo Collectivités, responsible for carrying out the Toulouse metro Line B extension project. The project involves the construction of a 2.7 km section, including a 500 m underground section to cross the Canal du Midi and 2.2 km on a viaduct, with two elevated stations: Parc Technologique du Canal (PTC) and the National Polytechnic Institute of Toulouse (INPT), the latter providing a link to the future third metro line. In short, an extension will be built in the south-east of the city, from Ramonville to INPT. A connection section is planned behind Ramonville station to link the existing line to the new extension, together with a connecting route (Line 1) behind the PTC station and a single bidirectional line between PTC and Innopole, as well as a parking area between Parc Technologique du Canal and the Polytechnic Institute on Line B.

Siemens Mobility subcontracted Generale Costruzioni Ferroviarie (GCF), which carried out the design phase of the project between 2023 and 2025. Last year, GCF already began installing the rails for the extension of metro line B. In addition to building the track (main rails and side guides) and the three switches, GCF will also supply and install the evacuation sidewalks along each section of the line. According to Tisséo Collectivités, the section will become operational in 2027, offering a journey of just 3 minutes between Ramonville and the National Polytechnic Institute. It is estimated that 14,000 journeys per day will be made on the extension.

The total cost of the project is estimated at 182.5 million EUR, of which the French state is allocating 35.5 million EUR, the Haute-Garonne Departmental Council 65 million EUR, and the Occitanie Regional Council 25 million EUR.

For the Toulouse metro, Siemens Mobility was also involved in the project to expand transport capacity, which, together with Tisséo Collectivités, inaugurated Line A in the XXL version (as the project is called) in 2020, increasing the capacity of trains from 26 meters (two-car train) to 52 meters (four-car train). This resulted in the transport of over 320 passengers per train, increasing the capacity of Line A from 220,000 to 400,000 passengers per day.