- Lyon Metro
-
Métro de Lyon 
Info Locale Lyon, Rhône-Alpes Transit type Rapid transit Number of lines 4 Number of stations 42 Daily ridership 708,232 (2009) Operation Began operation 1978 Operator(s) TCL Technical Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) System map 
Lyon public transport 
Metro A B C D Funi F Funi SJ Tramways T1 • T2 • T3 • T4 Rhônexpress Airport commuter Train TER Rhône Alpes Real • Ouest Lyonnais Railway stations Perrache • Part-Dieu • Gorge-de-Loup • Jean-Macé • Saint-Exupéry • Saint-Paul • Vaise • Francheville • Oullins • Vénissieux Express Bus Bus 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 ... Zi1 215 ... Lyon Airports Saint Exupery • Bron The Lyon metro, in Lyon, France, first opened in 1978 and now consists of four lines. It is part of the Transports en Commun Lyonnais (TCL) system of public transport, and is supported by a network of tramways.
Unlike all other French metro systems (except one, the RER), Lyon metro trains run on the left like the SNCF. This is the result of an unrealised project to run the metro into the suburbs on existing railway lines. The loading gauge for lines A, B, and D is 2.90 m (9 ft 6.2 in),[1] more generous than the average for metros in Europe. The loading gauge for line C is 2.78 m (9 ft 1.4 in).[1] The Lyon Metro owes its inspiration to the Montreal Metro which was built a few years prior, and has similar (wider) rubber-wheel cars and station design.[citation needed] The total track length is 30 km (18.6 mi), 80% of which is underground and it has over 708,000 daily weekday boardings.
Contents
Routes
The métro system consists of four lines, A-B-C-D, each identified on maps by different colours:
Line Colour Opened Terminus A Red 1978 Perrache - Vaulx en Velin La Soie B Blue 1978 Charpennes - Stade de Gerland C Orange 1981 Hôtel de Ville - Cuire D Green 1991 Gare de Vaise - Gare de Vénissieux Lines A and B
Lines A (Perrache - Laurent Bonnevay) and B (Charpennes - Part-Dieu) were constructed using the cut-and-cover method, and went into service on May 2, 1978. Trains on both lines run on tyres rather than steel wheels.
Line B was extended to Jean Macé on September 9, 1981, then to Gerland on September 4, 2000. A further extension to Oullins is expected to open in 2013.
An extension to Vaulx-en-Velin La Soie on Line A opened in October 2007.
By 2013, line B will be automated with the same system as line D. Line A will also be automated, however not until 2017.
Line C
The Croix-Rousse-Croix-Paquet rack railway, which was refurbished in 1974, was integrated into the Metro in 1978 as line C, running from (Hôtel-de-Ville to Croix-Rousse). It was extended to Cuire on December 8, 1984.
The line was constructed using various methods; the incline rising through a deep tunnel, the portion on the flat at Croix-Rousse using cut-and-cover, while the section beyond Hénon runs on the surface. The Croix Paquet station claims to be the steepest metro station in Europe, with an incline of 17%.
Line C uses an overhead wire, while Lines A, B and D uses a third rail.
Line D
Line D commenced operation under human control on September 4, 1991 between Gorge-de-Loup and Grange-Blanche. The line was extended to Gare de Vénissieux on December 11, 1992, at which time it switched to automatic operation. Rubber-tyred trains run automatically with no driver on board, controlled by a system known as MAGGALY (Métro Automatique à Grand Gabarit de l’Agglomération Lyonnaise). On April 28, 1997, it was extended again to Gare de Vaise.
Being the deepest of the lines in Lyon, it was constructed mainly using boring machines and passes under both rivers, the Rhône and the Saône. At 13 km (8.08 mi) long, it is also the longest of the lines in Lyon.
Operation
The Metro, like the rest of the local public transport system, is operated by SLTC - the Société lyonnaise de transports en commun (Lyon public transport company), under the TCL brand - Transports en commun lyonnais (Lyon public transport). It is operated on behalf of SYTRAL - the Syndicat de transports de l'agglomération lyonnaise (Lyon metropolitan transport syndicate), a Syndicat Mixte.
See also
- Funiculars of Lyon
- List of Lyon metro stations
- REAL
- Buses in Lyon
- Rhônexpress
- Transportation in Lyon
- List of metro systems
- French Wikipedia - a much more detailed description of the Lyon Metro http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/M%C3%A9tro_de_Lyon
References
- ^ a b Loading gauge
External links
- (French) TCL official website
- (English) Lyon Metro on UrbanRail.net
- (French) Comprehensive map of the Lyon metro network
Urban guided transit systems in France Métros PresentTramways PresentPlannedFormerAvranches · Bordeaux · Cannes · Caen · Grenoble · Deauville · Fontainebleau · Le Havre · Lyon · Nantes · Nice et Littoral · Paris · Rouen · Saint-Romain-de-Colbosc · Strasbourg · Valenciennes · VersaillesGuided buses PresentPlannedDouai · ParisUrban funiculars PresentFormerBesançonUrban cable cars PresentGrenoblePeople movers PresentSee also: Transport in France, List of railways in France, Trams in France, and Railways in FranceCategories:- Rail transport in France
- Rapid transit in Lyon
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
