ATEÏS France has been commissioned by RATP, the operator of the Paris Métro, to design and supply a public address/voice alarm system for an extensive refurbishment of Châtelet–Les Halles station.

Châtelet–Les Halles, the largest underground railway station in the world, is the main commuter hub for Paris, with some 750,000 passengers passing through daily. The refurbishment – which began in late 2012 and is due to be completed in 2016 – has three aims: to “improve accessibility, increase the standard of service and passenger comfort and make improvements to fire safety and evacuation arrangements”.

ATEÏS’s processing and networking systems will form the “backbone” of the new audio emergency evacuation system. ATEÏS France has supplied an IDA8 modular networkable PA/VA system (pictured right) to control approximately 20 zones connected over 44 loudspeaker lines, along with its Voxanet IP software, which is used as a bridge between the VA system and RATP’s own supervision program which manages PA and voice messages. The installation also includes two racks linked to an ATEÏS Net audio networking system.

IDA8_web“This installation was a big challenge, not only in terms of size but also because it is the first underground railway system in France to use the ATEÏS IDA8,” explains Jérôme Beyls, managing director of ATEÏS France. “[However], we knew our technology and products were equal to that challenge, and [we] are proud to be associated with such a major building project.”

ATEÏS’s previous rail installations across Europe include Hauptbahnhof station in Zurich, London King’s Cross station and the high-speed Paris-to-Marseille TGV line.