Régie des Transports de Marseille

Marseille Metro

At Castellane station
Overview
Native name	Métro de Marseille
Locale	Marseille, Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, France
Transit type	Rapid transit
Number of lines	2
Number of stations	28
Daily ridership	210,200 (daily avg., 2012)
Annual ridership	76.7 million (2012)
Operation
Began operation	1977
Operator(s)	RTM
Technical
System length	21.5 km (13.4 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
System map La Rose Cap.ne Gèze Frais-Vallon Bougainville Malpassé National Saint-Juste Désirée Clary Chartreux  2 Joliette 5-Av. Longch. 2  Jules Guesde Réf.-Canebière S.t-Charles Colbert Noailles 1  2  Vieux-Port Estragin N.D.d.M. Cours J. Castellane Périer Baille R.-P. Prado La Timone S.te-Marg. D. La Blancarde 1  2  L. Armand S.t-Barnabé La Fourragére Source: File:Marseille - Metro - Netzplan.png

Source: File:Marseille - Metro - Netzplan.png

The Marseille Metro (French: Métro de Marseille) is a metro/rapid transit system serving the city of Marseille, in southern France. The Marseille Metro opened in 1977. As of 2013, the system comprises two lines, partly underground, serving 28 stations, with an overall route length of 21.5 kilometres (13.4 mi). It carried approximately 76.7 million passengers in 2012. The Metro uses the rubber-tyred metro technology derived from some lines of the Paris Metro.

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. 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.

The tramway system, badly damaged during the Second World War, was almost completely scrapped during the 1950s and replaced by buses (with the exception of line 68). However, by 1960, the city was suffering from severe congestion due to the growth in automobile use. New metro projects resurfaced in the mid-1960s, as a means to alleviate traffic congestion. After several years of studies, the city council voted unanimously in 1969 for the creation of a metro system.

Construction of the first line started on August 13, 1973 and lasted until early 1977. Revenue operation started on November 26, 1977 on a portion of the line, between La Rose and Saint-Charles. The rest of the line opened on March 11, 1978. The plans for the second line were approved in 1978. Construction began in 1980. The central portion of the line, between Joliette and Castellane, opened on March 3, 1984. Southern and northern portions of the line were opened in February 1986 and February 1987 respectively.

Subsequent extensions took place in the following years on line 1, first between Castellane and La Timone on September 5, 1992 (1.5 km, 2 new stations), and then between La Timone and La Fourragère (2.5 km, 4 new stations) in 2010.