Marseilles

HISTORY OF MARSEL METRO

Mister M presents
Marseille Metro

Marseille Metro Museum

The Marseille Metro (French: Métro de Marseille) is a rapid transit system serving Marseille, in Southern France. As of 2020, the system comprises two lines, partly underground, serving 31 stations, with an overall route length of 22.7 kilometres (14.1 mi). Line 1 opened in 1977, followed by Line 2 in 1984. Two stations, Saint-Charles and Castellane, each provide interchange between lines.

The system's MPM 76 trains use the rubber-tyred metro technology developed by the RATP for some lines of the Paris Métro. In 2012, the Marseille Metro carried approximately 76.7 million passengers, making it a core part of the transport network in the Marseille urban area, with 49% of journeys using the metro. Since 1986, the Régie des transports métropolitains (Régie des transports de Marseille until 2016) has operated the network, operating it since it changed its name on behalf of the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis.

The first plans for a metro system in Marseille appeared in the early years of the 20th century, following the opening of the Paris metro.[4] Many plans were put forward, but quickly abandoned due to lack of financing. The most serious proposal emanated in 1918 from the Compagnie d'électricité de Marseille, which proposed to build an underground network similar to the Paris métro. This proposal was met with fierce opposition from the Compagnie générale française de tramways, which owned and operated the city's tramway system. This project ultimately failed, and the idea of building a metro in Marseille was abandoned for many decades.

Several proposals came immediately before and after the Second World War calling for modernizing the existing tramways with a network of lines running underground, but all were scrapped due to material shortages. Instead, the system, so badly damaged by the conflict, was almost completely dismantled during the following decade and replaced by buses (with the exception of line 68).

TIMELINE STORIES

MAPLINE routes

RTM operates metropolitan transport networks as well as additional mobile services contracted to it by Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolis (AMP).

As mentioned above, the Marseille metro is not impressive in scale: it consists of only two branches. They have twenty-eight stations. The total length of the tracks is over twenty kilometers. Most of the transportation system is underground.

Metro Marseille. 02/07/2019.