The Lyon Metro (, ) is a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

system serving

Lyon Metropolis The Metropolis of Lyon (, ), also known as Grand Lyon (, "Greater Lyon"), is a French territorial collectivity in the east-central region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. It is a directly-elected metropolitan authority, encompassing both the city of Ly ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

. First opened in 1974, it currently consists of four lines, serving 42 stations and comprising of route. Part of the

Transports en Commun Lyonnais The Transports en commun lyonnais (, "Lyon public transport" in French; usually referred to as TCL) is the Lyon public transport agency. It is the second largest public transport system in France (after Paris), and covers 72 communes, including ...

(TCL) system of public transport, it is supported by two funiculars and a tramway network. Unlike other French metro systems, but like RER and other

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (, , SNCF ) is France's national State-owned enterprise, state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the Rail transport in France, country's national rail traffic along with th ...

services, Lyon Metro trains run on the left. This is the result of an unrealised project to run the metro into the suburbs on existing railway lines. The

loading gauge A loading gauge is a diagram or physical structure that defines the maximum height and width dimensions in railway vehicles and their loads. Their purpose is to ensure that rail vehicles can pass safely through tunnels and under bridges, and k ...

for all lines is , more generous than the average for metros in Europe. The Lyon Metro has rubber-wheel cars. In 2018, the average daily weekday ridership was 755,000.

Routes

The Lyon Metro consists of four lines, A, B, C and D, each identified on maps by different colours:

Lines A and B

Line A from ''Perrache'' to ''Laurent Bonnevay–Astroballe'' and Line B from ''Charpennes'' to ''

Part-Dieu La Part-Dieu () is a quarter in the 3rd arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is the second-largest tertiary district in France, after La Défense in Greater Paris. The area also contains Lyon's primary railway station, La Part-Dieu. This urb ...

'' were constructed by cut-and-cover and went into service on 2 May 1978, as the inaugural lines of the Lyon Metro. Trains on both lines run on rubber tyres rather than steel wheels. Line B was extended to ''Jean Macé'' on 9 September 1981, to ''Stade de Gerland'' on 4 September 2000 as well as later to ''Gare d'Oullins'' on 11 December 2013. An extension to ''Vaulx-en-Velin–La Soie'' on Line A opened in October 2007. Since 2022, Line B is automated with new MPL 16 rolling stock ordered to

Alstom Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...

in 2016. The MPL 75 trains previously used on Line B are meant to join the other MPL 75s on Line A to increase capacity. An extension to Line B saw two stations, ''Oullins Centre'' and ''Saint-Genis-Laval–Hôpital Lyon Sud'' open on 20 October 2023.

Line C

The ''Croix-Rousse-Croix-Paquet''

rack railway A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with ...

, which was refurbished in 1974, was integrated into the Metro in 1978 as Line C, with an extension to Hôtel de Ville–Louis Pradel (thus running from ''Hôtel de Ville–Louis Pradel'' to ''Croix-Rousse''). It was extended to ''Cuire'' on 8 December 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 overhead wires and steel wheels while Lines A, B and D use a

third rail A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a track (r ...

and rubber tyres. Until

Paris Métro Line 15 Paris Métro Line 15 is one of four new lines of Grand Paris Express, a major expansion project of the Paris Métro. Currently under construction, the line will provide a new Circle route, orbital route through the suburbs of Paris, servicing the ...

opens it is the only metro line in France to use overhead lines and the only steel wheeled metro line in France outside Paris.

Line D

Line D, the first fully automatic metro line in France, started with operators on board trains on 4 September 1991, between ''Gorge de Loup'' and ''Grange Blanche''. The line was extended to '' Gare de Vénissieux'' on 11 December 1992, when it switched to driverless operation. On 28 April 1997, it was extended again to '' Gare de Vaise''. Using rubber tyres like lines A and B, trains on line D are controlled by a system known as MAGGALY (''Métro Automatique à Grand Gabarit de l’Agglomération Lyonnaise''). Unusually for a driverless metro, no

platform screen doors Platform screen doors (PSDs), also known as platform edge doors (PEDs), are used at some train, rapid transit and people mover stations to separate the platform from train tracks, as well as on some bus rapid transit, tram and light rail ...

are installed on station platforms. The trains use infrared sensors to detect obstructions on the track. Other systems using this technology include the

Nuremberg U-Bahn The Nuremberg U-Bahn is a rapid transit system in Nuremberg and Fürth, Bavaria. It is operated by ''Verkehrs-Aktiengesellschaft Nürnberg'' (VAG; Nuremberg Transport Corporation), which itself is a member of the ''Verkehrsverbund Großraum Nür ...

and

Budapest Metro The Budapest Metro (, ) is the rapid transit system in the Hungary, Hungarian capital Budapest. Opened in 1896, it is the world's second oldest electrified underground railway after the City and South London Railway of 1890, now part of the Lon ...

's Line 4. The deepest line in Lyon, Line D was constructed partly using boring machines and passes under both rivers, the

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

and

Saône The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...

. At long with 15 stations, it is also the longest line in Lyon. In 2016, new MPL 16 rolling stock was ordered from

for Line B and Line D; it came into service on Line B in 2022. These trains allow for an increase in capacity on Line D. Further, they will be coupled to form four-car units at rush hours and should replace the MPL 75 of Line B which would then solely run on Line A.

Map

Operation

The Metro, like the rest of the local public transport system, is operated by

Keolis Keolis is a French transportation company that operates public transport systems all over the world. It manages bus, rapid transit, tram, coach networks, rental bikes, car parks, water taxi, cable car, trolleybus, and funicular services. B ...

Lyon (ex-SLTC - the ' (Lyon public transport company)), under the TCL brand - ' (Lyon public transport). It is operated on behalf of SYTRAL Mobilités - the ' (Rhône department and Lyon metropolitan transport syndicate), a Syndicat Mixte. On 1 January 2025

RATP Dev The RATP Group () is a French state-owned enterprise (Établissement public à caractère industriel et commercial, EPIC) that operates public transport systems primarily in Paris, France. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under th ...

will take over operation of the metro.

Future expansion

A new line, dubbed Line E, was under consideration to link Lyon's western suburbs to the city centre. Twelve variants were initially proposed; two options, running from either ''Bellecour'' or ''Hôtel de Ville'' to ''Alaï'', were selected for further study and could potentially have been opened around 2030. In 2022, however, the plans for Line E and other metro extensions have been cancelled in favor of plans for new express tramways, partly underground.

References

External links

Lyon Metro Map on Google Maps with Geolocation
*

Comprehensive map of the Lyon metro network
* Métro de Lyon – French Wikipedia has a much more detailed description of the Lyon Metro {{Urban rail transit in EU Keolis RATP Group 1974 establishments in France