The MP 51 ( fr) was the first

rubber-tyred metro A rubber-tyred metro or rubber-tired metro is a form of rapid transit system that uses a mix of road and rail technology. The vehicles have wheels with rubber tires that run on rolling pads inside guide bars for traction, as well as traditional ...

prototype operated by the Régie autonome des transports parisiens (English: ''Autonomous Parisian Transportation Administration'', ''RATP''), on the

Paris Metro 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. Sin ...

system starting in 1951 fitted with GoA 2

ATO ATO may refer to: Technology *Abort to Orbit, an intact abort procedure for Space Shuttle launches *Arsenic trioxide a potent chemotherapeutic agent for acute promyelocytic leukemia * ATO fuse * Automatic train operation * Assisted take off Milit ...

from the start. It ran with passengers from 13 April 1952 until 31 May 1956 and was used as a test bed for rubber-tyred metro technology and automatic train operation. It operated a quiet 770m shuttle service with sharp turns and steep grades on ''la voie navette'' of the

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the Paris, city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform ar ...

. It featured a GoA 2 system with an ATO "mat" fitted onto the underfloor of the train continuously in contact with a guide-line between the tracks nicknamed "Grecque", and often prompted passengers to "operate the train" by pushing the ATO start button. Lack of funds prevented installation on the rest of the Paris Metro until 1966, starting with line 11. Line 14, opened in 1998, was the first newly built Paris Métro to operate in GoA 4, and Line 1 later also had its GoA 2 ATO system replaced to a newer GoA 4 CBTC system from 1972.

References

Transport in France Paris Métro rolling stock {{France-transport-stub