The Toulouse Metro (french: Métro de Toulouse, oc, Mètro de Tolosa) is a
rapid transit
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
system serving
Toulouse Métropole
Toulouse Métropole is one of the 20 French metropolises, an intercommunal structure, centred on the city of Toulouse. It is located in the Haute-Garonne department, in the Occitanie region, southern France. It was created in January 2015, rep ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
. It is the only
Metro system
Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT), also known as heavy rail or metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport generally found in urban areas. A rapid transit system that primarily or traditionally runs below the surface may be c ...
in
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
. The city's public transport system was initially managed by the ''Société d'économie mixte des voyageurs de l'agglomération toulousaine'' (SEMVAT; literally the Toulaise Passengers' Mixed Economy Company), which was a company 80% owned by local government bodies and 20% privately owned. It has been managed by
Tisséo
Tisséo is the brand adopted in 2002 for the transport network of Toulouse, under the authority of the '' Syndicat mixte des transports en commun'' (SMTC).
Tisséo operates two metro lines, two tramway lines, a hundred buses, and shuttle ser ...
, under the authority of the ''Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun'', an authority established by various local government bodies, since 2003.
In 2018, the network was used by 110.3 million passengers. The Toulouse Metro consists of two primarily underground metro lines, Line A and Line B, that together serve 37 stations, comprising of route.
It is supplemented by the
Toulouse railway network
The Toulouse railway network is a railway network in Toulouse metropolitan area in France. Created in 1856, with the opening of the Matabiau station (now Toulouse main station), it has six lines, or eight branches, arranged more or less in a star ...
(including suburban Line C, Line D and Line F) and
Toulouse tramway
The Toulouse tramway (french: Tramway de Toulouse) is a two-line tram system in Toulouse, Midi-Pyrénées, France, and operates from Toulouse to the suburb of Beauzelle, passing through Blagnac. The Line T1 tramway serves 24 stations, and runs ov ...
(Line T1 and T2—former Line E) which serves the northwestern suburbs and
Toulouse–Blagnac Airport
Toulouse–Blagnac Airport (french: Aéroport de Toulouse–Blagnac) is an international airport located west northwest of Toulouse, partially in Blagnac, both ''communes'' of the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitanie region of France ...
.
History
* 1983: City Council decides to create a metro line on a south-western/north-eastern axis.
* 1985: the municipality decides to use
VAL technology.
* 1987: the project receives planning and environmental approvals.
* 1989: beginning of work on Line A.
* 1993: opening of Line A.
* 1997: beginning of preliminary studies for the extension of Line A and the construction of Line B.
* 2001: beginning of work on extension of Line A and construction of Line B.
* December 2003: Opening of the extension of line A to Balma-Gramont.
* 30 June 2007: Opening of Line B, (''Borderouge'' - ''Ramonville'').
* 2010: Tram Line T1 opens from Arènes to Blagnac
* 2013: Opening of the extension of Line T1 to ''Palais de Justice''
* 2028: Planned start of operations of the
Toulouse Aerospace Express (third metro line)
Network
The Toulouse Metro is currently composed of two lines:
* Line A (12.5 km),
''Basso-Cambo'' - ''Balma Gramont''. Opened in 1993,
it is mainly underground, but comprises some
elevated
An elevated railway or elevated train (also known as an el train for short) is a rapid transit railway with the tracks above street level on a viaduct or other elevated structure (usually constructed from steel, cast iron, concrete, or bricks ...
sections.
* Line B (15.7 km),
''Borderouge'' - ''Ramonville''. On a north–south axis, entirely underground and which opened on 30 June 2007.
Map
Lines
Metro: Line A
![Rame métro Toulouse ligne B](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e8/Rame_m%C3%A9tro_Toulouse_ligne_B.JPG)
Line A currently comprises 18 stations
on a 12.5-kilometre (7.8 mi) route.
The original section of Line A opened in June 1993;
an extension from Jolimont to Balma-Gramont opened in 2002.
It extends from the shopping centre of Balma through Toulouse with stations at ''Marengo'' (connecting with the main
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
railway station
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
), ''Capitole'', ''Place Esquirol'' and
''University of Mirail''. After its final station, ''Basso-Cambo'', is a carriage shed-workshop, which provides storage, maintenance and tests of the rolling stock for the whole of network. The Central Control Centre is also located at the garage-workshop.
Its operating hours are 05:15 AM to midnight (Sunday to Thursday), and until 03:00 AM (Friday and Saturday).
In order to reduce costs, five of the 18 stations have short platforms. Long platforms are needed to use four-carriage trains instead of two in order to double the capacity of the line. As a result, 13 years after its opening the line is saturated - peak hour lasts longer and longer, and the opening of Line B (2007), Line E (2009) and various exclusive bus lanes will bring additional traffic flows on to Line A and suggests that the use of Line A will become increasingly uncomfortable. Short platforms are being lengthened and longer trains are expected to serve the whole line by late 2019.
A 5-km northern extension to
L'Union
L'Union (; oc, Sent Joan le Nòu) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.
It is a suburb of Toulouse, located just to the northeast of the city.
History
L'Union was founded in the 1790s after the fusion of ''Belbè ...
is also under study by the year 2030. The terminus station would be at ''Plaine des Monges''.
Metro: Line B
![Voute Carmes](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9d/Voute_Carmes.JPG)
This line has initially 20 stations
on a route.
It opened on 30 June 2007.
Car parks have been built at ''Borderouge'', and ''Ramonville'' stations. New bus stations have been built ''Borderouge'', ''Université Paul Sabatier'' and ''Ramonville'' stations.
In January 2006, the Mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc called for a fast decision on a southern extension of Line B. This extension would include 5 km of line on viaduct, with a crossing of the
Canal du Midi and the
A61 autoroute, four stations and would terminate at ''Labège - Innopole''. It would cost €330 million and be opened in 2019. This project has been shelved in favor of a third metro line.
Tram: Lines T1 and T2
![Toulouse - Station Purpan du tram T1 (1c)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0e/Toulouse_-_Station_Purpan_du_tram_T1_%281c%29.jpg)
The
Tramway Line T1 runs between Beauzelle and Toulouse-Arènes passing through Blagnac. It was to open in November 2010, but this was delayed by industrial action; instead it opened in December 2010.
The line has 18 stops:
- Arènes (''Connection to Metro lines A and C'')
- Zénith
- Cartoucherie
- Casselardit
- Purpan
- Arênes Romaines
- Ancely
- Servanty
- Guyenne
- Pasteur
- Relais
- Marronniers
- Patinoire
- Grand Noble
- Georges Brassens
- Lycée
- Beauzelle
- Garossos
Line T2 opened in 2015 as a branch of line T1. Both lines have a common section from southern terminus Palais de Justice to Ancely. Then, line T2 goes toward
Toulouse Blagnac airport.
Technology
![Viaduc Rocade Ligne A du métro de Toulouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/db/Viaduc_Rocade_Ligne_A_du_m%C3%A9tro_de_Toulouse.JPG)
Lines A and B are automatic metro lines, which use
VAL technology built by
Matra
Matra (an acronym for Mécanique Aviation Traction) was a French industrial conglomerate. During its years of operation, it was engaged in a wide range of business activities, primarily focused around automobiles, bicycles, aeronautics and w ...
, now part of
Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens Mobility GmbH is a separately-managed company of Siemens, arising from a corporate restructuring effective 1 August 2018. With its global headquarters in Munich, Siemens Mobility has four core business units: Mobility Management, dedi ...
.
13 of the 18 stations on line A are 52 metres long and can therefore handle four-car trains.
Platform screen doors separate the platforms from the tracks and are synchronised with the doors of the trains. Therefore, each platform must be absolutely straight. Each two-car set can accommodate from 150 to 220 people.
The trains have rubber tyres and 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 railway ...
750 V
direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or even ...
electric supply. They can climb slopes of up to 7%, reach a top speed of approximately 60 km/h, and can operate on the line at a maximum frequency of 65 seconds.
A central control centre regulates the network and ensures its safety and can take control of trains remotely in the event of an incident or a breakdown.
Currently, two types of rolling stock are in circulation:
VAL 206
The VAL 206 is one of the VAL series, an automated guideway transit system manufactured by Matra. Because it uses rubber tires, it is suitable for applications that require high acceleration / deceleration.
The 206 classification comes from the ...
and
VAL 208. The name of the next station is announced just before each stop and just after the departure from the preceding station. In
VAL 208 trains, the name of the next station and its connections are shown in each car on a panel of
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
s.
Future plans
![Plan métro tramway Toulouse](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Plan_m%C3%A9tro_tramway_Toulouse.svg)
Extensions to the tram line are planned, to Grand Rond and to Beauzelle. Another tram line may also be built in time for the arrival of the
LGV Bordeaux–Toulouse
The LGV Bordeaux–Toulouse is a 222 kilometre (138 mi) long future French high-speed rail line reserved for passenger traffic between Bordeaux and Toulouse. Its dual aim is:
* to ensure high-speed service of the Toulouse region through an e ...
.
The project has been canceled in 2014 due to the change of leadership of the city in favor of the new metro line.
In December 2015, the transport authority SMTC unveiled the outline route for the Toulouse Aerospace Express, which will be the third metro line in the city. The 27-km 20 station line will connect the
Colomiers
Colomiers (; oc, Colomèrs; Languedocien dialect: ''Colomièrs'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Haute-Garonne Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania Regions of France, region in Southwester ...
railway station near the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on the west through city centre before ending at
Labège
Labège (; oc, Labeja) is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in the Occitania region in Southwestern France. In 2019, it had a population of 4,008.
Geography
Labège is a commune in the metropolitan area of Toulouse. Its urban core is lo ...
in the southeastern suburb of
Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
. Further studies and a public inquiry will take place to select the final route. The line is expected to cost €1.72bn and finish construction in 2024.
The line has been renamed line C in 2022.
See also
*
List of metro systems
*
List of Toulouse Metro stations
*
Rubber-tyred metro
References
External links
*
Toulouse at ''UrbanRail.net''
{{authority control
750 V DC railway electrification
Rapid transit in France
Transport in Toulouse
VAL people movers