The MP 55 was the first generation of the
rubber tired variant of
electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple-unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a numbe ...
s used on
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
's
Métro system. The trains were manufactured by a
consortium
A consortium (plural: consortia) is an association of two or more individuals, companies, organizations or governments (or any combination of these entities) with the objective of participating in a common activity or pooling their resources for ...
between Renault, Brissonneau et Lotz, and
Alstom
Alstom SA is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the AGV, TGV, Eurostar, Avelia ...
and operated on
Line 11 from 1956 to 1999, when they were replaced by refurbished
MP 59
The MP 59 (French : Métro sur Pneus d'appel d'offres de 1959) is a rubber tyred variant of electric multiple units used on the Paris Métro system, and is the oldest type still in regular passenger service. Manufactured by a consortium betwee ...
stock from
Line 4.
Conception
After the successful testing of the
MP 51
The MP 51 ( fr) was the first rubber-tyred metro prototype operated by the Régie autonome des transports parisiens (English: ''Autonomous Parisian Transportation Administration'', ''RATP''), on the Paris Metro system starting in 1951 fitted wi ...
test car on the ''la voie navette'' segment (connecting track) between
Line 3bis and
Line 7bis, the RATP decided to order 71 new train cars to equip Line 11, since the line contained a steep grade. The first train (M.3001-N.4001-AB.5501-M.3002) was delivered beginning on October 1, 1956 and went into service on November 8, 1956, with all 17 trains were in service by October 1957.
Description
The MP 55 was composed of 4 car trainsets, with three of the cars motorized. Originally, the trains were painted in a light blue livery and contained soft fluorescent lighting. Like many trains during the 1950s, the MP 55 trains contained both first class and second class cars.
The maximum acceleration for the MP 55 was restrained at for passenger comfort. The traction equipment used was either electro-pneumatic (EMC) or camshaft electric (Jeumon-Heidmann, or JH) and the braking system used was also of electro-pneumatic type, though a gradual variant was used. In 1967, automatic drive (ATO) was implemented on all trainsets.
Refurbishment and retirement
In 1977, the trains underwent their mid-life refurbishment and received a darker blue livery similar to that of the
MP 73
The MP 73 (Metro Pneu appel d'offres 1973) is rolling stock on tires for the Paris metro. It essentially equips line 6, a train being also operated on line 11 until 2022. Put into service in 1974, it is technically very close to the MP 59 wit ...
. During the late 1980s, the RATP decided that it was time to retire the MP 55. Because of this, the trains were not repainted in the RATP's current mint green and white livery, however many trains were fitted with the RATP's current logo. The retirement process began in 1995, with the arrival of the newer
MP 89CC trains on
Line 1, and refurbished MP 59 trainsets from Line 4 gradually replaced all of the MP 55 trainsets. The final train was retired on January 30, 1999, completing the retirement process.
Unlike the
Sprague-Thomson
Sprague-Thomson is the name of the first rolling stock on the Paris Métro made completely of metal. It replaced the mostly wooden M1.
History
Research before 1908
In light of the Paris Métro train fire of 1903, the Compagnie du chemin ...
, no MP 55 trainset was safeguarded in its entirety; nearly all of them were scrapped after their retirement. Only four cars were preserved, however: two by the RATP (AB.5517 and M.3011), one by Renault (M.3001), and the fourth by a private museum (M.3030).
References
*''The information in this article is based on that in its
French equivalent''.
{{Paris Metro/RS
MP 1955