The Lyon Metro (french: Métro de Lyon) 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 ...

system serving Lyon Metropolis,

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 ...

. First opened in 1974, it currently consists of four lines, serving 40 stations and comprising of route. Part of the Transports en Commun Lyonnais (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 (; 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 traffic ...

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 for all lines is , more generous than the average for metros in Europe. The Lyon Metro owes its inspiration to the

Montreal Metro The Montreal Metro (french: Métro de Montréal) is a rubber-tired underground rapid transit system serving Greater Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The metro, operated by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM), was inaugurated on October 14, ...

which was built a few years prior; it has similar (narrower) rubber-wheel cars. Daily weekday ridership was 740,000 in 2011.

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 Part-Dieu () is an area of Lyon Metropolis. It is also the second largest tertiary district in France, after La Défense in Greater Paris, with over 1,150,000 m2 of office and service space, along with 45,000 service sector jobs, 2,500 compani ...

'' 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 ''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. By 2020, Line B will be automated, with the same system as Line D. New MPL 16 rolling stock has been ordered to

Alstom Alstom SA is a French multinational corporation, multinational rolling stock manufacturer operating worldwide in rail transport markets, active in the fields of passenger transportation, signalling, and locomotives, with products including the A ...

in 2016 for Line B. The MPL 75 trains currently used on Line B will join the other MPL 75s on Line A to increase capacity.

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 t ...

, which was refurbished in 1974, was integrated into the Metro in 1978 as Line C, with an extension to Hôtel-de-Ville (thus running from ''Hôtel-de-Ville'' 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 an overhead wire 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 railway ...

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 Gare is the word for "station" in French and related languages, commonly meaning railway station Gare can refer to: People * Gare (surname), surname * The Gare Family, fictional characters in the novel '' Wild Geese'' by Martha Ostenso Places * ...

'' 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 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 and Budapest Metro'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 ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

and

Saône The Saône ( , ; frp, Sona; lat, Arar) is a river in eastern France. It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges department and joining the Rhône in Lyon, at the southern end of the Presqu'île. The name d ...

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

Future expansion

Work is under way to extend Line B to a new terminus at Lyon's southern hospital complex in Saint-Genis-Laval. The extension is due to enter service in 2023. New rolling stock, capable of operating as a single two-car trainset or two coupled trainsets for four-car operation, will be introduced and the line will be automated. Existing rolling stock used on Line B will be used to enhance capacity on Line A. Line D will also receive 10 new trainsets and its automatic control system will be upgraded. A new line, dubbed Line E, is 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'', have been selected for further study and could potentially be opened by 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 {{Rapid transit in Europe