With five Olympic venues, the metropolitan area of Saint Quentin-en-Yvelines will live this summer to the frantic rhythm of the 2024 Paris Games. EAnd to transport spectators from all over the world who have come to cheer on their champions, the company has opted for a totally innovative, low-carbon, sustainable solution called Urbanloop. A world premiere.

Over 1.24 miles, light vehicles of Urbanloop will link the main parking lot of the Île-de-Loisirs Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to a fan zone. Visitors, especially the elderly, families with young children and people with disabilities, will be able to use this environmentally-friendly mobility solution for the very first time. Ten capsules that can accommodate 2 or 3 people will take turns at the station to transport passengers directly to their chosen destination, without any intermediate stops. The best comparison is the elevator, which takes you directly to the desired floor. Powered by a very low-voltage current in the rails, the capsules are autonomous and controlled by artificial intelligence algorithms. An ecological journey at 31 miles per hour for less than one euro cent per mile. “This is a totally carbon-free, autonomous transportation system, with zero net land artificialisation,” explained Noémie Bercoff, Managing Director of Urbanloop.

Developed by student engineers

Imagined in 2017 by engineers at universities in Lorraine, the company Urbanloop has been operating in Nancy since 2021, and recently also in Lyon. When the Transportation Innovation Agency launched a call for projects to identify innovations in the world of mobility incubated for the Olympic Games, the young company Urbanloop submitted a bid. It has been chosen to serve as a demonstrator and showcase for this global event. And since urban area of Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines is an innovative region with real entrepreneurial ambitions, it wanted to support this 100% electric project by joining the consortium. “It's a hyper-dynamic area, which immediately believed in us,” added Noémie Bercoff. “With them, we're really involved in the process of co-construction,” emphasized the manager.

A reversible solution

Urbanloop will remain at the Saint-Quentin en Yvelines venue for a total of 17 months to prove that the wooden capsules, rails and stations can withstand all seasons and all circumstances. “Then it can be completely dismantled, since it's a completely reversible solution,” explained the General Manager. It may also be so successful that it is used to serve urban or industrial areas in the region. Urbanloop does not compete with the metro, which is longer and can transport more people, but rather complements it: imagine a TER station with an Urbanloop which delivers passengers as close as possible to their homes, morning and evening. The Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines metropolitan area has taken advantage of the Paris Olympic and Paralympic Games to innovate and test a new sustainable mobility solution for transporting spectators. It will also have succeeded in inspiring other regions and demonstrating that tomorrow's solutions are already here.

© Urbanloop