Toulouse Metro
Encyclopedia
The Toulouse metro serves the city of Toulouse
, France
, and some of the surrounding area. The city's public transport system was initially managed by Société d'économie mixte des voyageurs de l'agglomération toulousaine (SEMVAT), which was a company that was 80% owned by local government bodies and 20% privately owned. It has been managed by Tisséo, under the authority of the Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun (an authority established by various local government bodies) since 2003.
There are two underground metro lines - A and B. Line C and D are suburban rail lines running to the west of the city and to Muret
respectively. Line T1 (old line E) is a tramway to Blagnac's suburbs.
Lines A and B are automatic metro lines, which use VAL technology built by Matra
, now part of Siemens Transportation Systems
.
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 200 people.
The trains have rubber tyres and use a third rail
750V direct current
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 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
s.
railway station
), 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.
Operating hours: 5:5am to midnight (0:42am 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. Fortunately it is intended to lengthen the platforms of all the short stations, but this will not occur before 2012 at best.
A 5 km northern extension to L'Union
is also under study for 2015. The terminus station would be at Plaine des Monges.
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 2013.
that joins the city of Colomiers
to the west of Toulouse. It was opened just after the line A. This line is just a section of the TER train line between Toulouse and Auch
, going from the station Arènes to Colomiers. The TER line was adapted between these two stations, to follow the Metro ratebase. Frequencies were increased to 15 min in 2005 after doubling of the railway infrastructure.
running to the town of Muret
, south of Toulouse
.
runs between Beauzelle and Toulouse-Arènes passing through Blagnac. It was 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
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, and some of the surrounding area. The city's public transport system was initially managed by Société d'économie mixte des voyageurs de l'agglomération toulousaine (SEMVAT), which was a company that was 80% owned by local government bodies and 20% privately owned. It has been managed by Tisséo, under the authority of the Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun (an authority established by various local government bodies) since 2003.
There are two underground metro lines - A and B. Line C and D are suburban rail lines running to the west of the city and to Muret
Muret
Muret is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is an outer suburb of the city of Toulouse, even though it does not belong to Greater Toulouse, which it has declined to join...
respectively. Line T1 (old line E) is a tramway to Blagnac's suburbs.
Technology
Matra
Mécanique Aviation Traction or Matra was a French company covering a wide range of activities mainly related to automobile, bicycles, aeronautics and weaponry. In 1994, it became a subsidiary of the Lagardère Group and now operates under that name.Matra was owned by the Floirat family...
, now part of Siemens Transportation Systems
Siemens AG
Siemens AG is a German multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Munich, Germany. It is the largest Europe-based electronics and electrical engineering company....
.
13 of the 18 stations on line A are 52 metres long and can therefore handle four-car trains. Platform screen doors
Platform screen doors
Platform screen doors and platform edge doors at train or subway stations screen the platform from the train. They are a relatively new addition to many metro systems around the world, with some platform doors retrofitted rather than installed with the metro system itself. They are widely used in...
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 200 people.
The trains have rubber tyres and use a third rail
Third rail
A third rail is a method of providing electric power to a railway train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway track. It is used typically in a mass transit or rapid transit system, which has alignments in its own corridors, fully or almost...
750V direct current
Direct current
Direct current is the unidirectional flow of electric charge. Direct current is produced by such sources as batteries, thermocouples, solar cells, and commutator-type electric machines of the dynamo type. Direct current may flow in a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through...
electric supply
Railway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
. 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 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
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s.
Network
The Toulouse metro is currently composed of two lines:- Line A, Basso-Cambo - Balma Gramont. It is mainly underground, but comprises some sections on viaductViaductA viaduct is a bridge composed of several small spans. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via for road and ducere to lead something. However, the Ancient Romans did not use that term per se; it is a modern derivation from an analogy with aqueduct. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early...
s. - Line B, Borderouge - Ramonville. On a North-South axis, entirely underground and which opened on 30 June 2007.
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.
- 2003 : (December) opening of the extension of line A.
- 2007 : (30 June) Opening of Line B, (Borderouge - Ramonville).
- 2010 : Tram Line T1 opens from Arènes to Blagnac
- 2013 : southern extension of Line B to Labège Innopôle (connection with SNCFSNCFThe SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
's Innopôle station). - 2015 : northern extension of Line A to L'Union.
Line A
Line A comprises 18 stations on a 12.5 km route. It extends from the shopping centre of Balma through Toulouse with stations at Marengo (connecting with the main SNCFSNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
railway station
Gare de Toulouse Matabiau
Toulouse-Matabiau is the main railway station in Toulouse, southern France. It is located in the city centre and connected to the Toulouse Metro. The station is situated on the Bordeaux–Sète railway, Toulouse–Bayonne railway, Brive-Toulouse railway and Toulouse-Auch railway...
), 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.
Operating hours: 5:5am to midnight (0:42am 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. Fortunately it is intended to lengthen the platforms of all the short stations, but this will not occur before 2012 at best.
A 5 km northern extension to L'Union
L'Union
L'Union is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is a suburb of Toulouse, located just to the north east of the city.-History:L'Union was founded in the 1790s after the fusion of Belbèze and Cornaudric...
is also under study for 2015. The terminus station would be at Plaine des Monges.
Line B
This line has initially 20 stations on a 15 km 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
Canal du Midi
The is a long canal in Southern France . The canal connects the Garonne River to the on the Mediterranean and along with the Canal de Garonne forms the Canal des Deux Mers joining the Atlantic to the Mediterranean. The canal runs from the city of Toulouse down to the Étang de Thau...
and the A61 autoroute
A61 autoroute
The A61 autoroute is a French motorway forming part of the Autoroute de Deux Mers.It connects Narbonne in Toulouse, where becomes the A62 towards Bordeaux. It also has junctions with the A64 towards Bayonne and A68 towards Albi on the outskirts of Toulouse. It is totally a toll road and operated...
, four stations and would terminate at Labège - Innopole. It would cost € 330 million and be opened in 2013.
Line C
This line is a kind of RERRER
The RER is a rapid transit system in France serving Paris and its suburbs. The RER is an integration of a modern city-centre underground rail and a pre-existing set of commuter rail lines. It has several connections with the Paris Métro within the city of Paris. Within the city, the RER...
that joins the city of Colomiers
Colomiers
Colomiers is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is the largest suburb of the city of Toulouse, and is adjacent to it on the west side...
to the west of Toulouse. It was opened just after the line A. This line is just a section of the TER train line between Toulouse and Auch
Auch
Auch is a commune in southwestern France. Located in the region of Midi-Pyrénées, it is the capital of the Gers department. Auch is the historical capital of Gascony.-The Ausci:...
, going from the station Arènes to Colomiers. The TER line was adapted between these two stations, to follow the Metro ratebase. Frequencies were increased to 15 min in 2005 after doubling of the railway infrastructure.
Line D
Line D is a railway operated by SNCFSNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
running to the town of Muret
Muret
Muret is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern France.It is an outer suburb of the city of Toulouse, even though it does not belong to Greater Toulouse, which it has declined to join...
, south of Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
.
Line T1 (Tram)
The Tramway Line T1Toulouse tramway
- Route :Toulouse Tramway operates from Beauzelle to Toulouse passing through Blagnac. It was expected to be opened on November 27, 2010, but this was delayed by industrial action; instead it opened in December 2010...
runs between Beauzelle and Toulouse-Arènes passing through Blagnac. It was 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
Future plans
Extensions to the tram line are planned, to Grand Rond, to Beauzelle, and to Toulouse-Blagnac Airport. A second tram line may also be built in time for the arrival of the LGV Bordeaux–Toulouse.See also
- List of Toulouse metro stations
- Transportation in Toulouse
- List of metro systems
- Rubber-tyred metroRubber-tyred metroA rubber-tyred metro is a form of rapid transit system that uses a mix of road and rail technology. The vehicles have wheels with rubber tyres which run on rolling pads inside guide bars for traction, as well as traditional railway steel wheels with deep flanges on steel tracks for guidance through...
- Toulouse tramwayToulouse tramway- Route :Toulouse Tramway operates from Beauzelle to Toulouse passing through Blagnac. It was expected to be opened on November 27, 2010, but this was delayed by industrial action; instead it opened in December 2010...