Lille Metro

The Lille Métropole, together with the tram and bus public transport in the metropolitan area of Lille, which has formed as the northernmost French metropolitan area with more than one million inhabitants, the city of Lille and extends up to Belgium. Built in 1983 underground railway network comprises two lines and was the first subway system, which applied the VAL technology. Thus, the Lille Metro is one of the few metros worldwide, automatically, that is without drivers, be operated. Operator of the metro network is Transports en commun de la métropole lilloise ( Transpole ).

Line network

Lines

The metro in the city of Lille has two lines. Together, these are currently 45.5 km long and have 62 stations. Depending on the station, at the Metro trains between 5 und 6 clock clock in the morning and 23 clock until 0:30 clock in the night. The Zugintervall is in the peak around 60 seconds.

Stations

The metro stations are characterized by glass walls with sliding doors between the platforms and the lanes of the VAL- vehicles. Due to the automatic operation, the trains are purposefully retracted so that the doors of the station and the train open at the same time. 47 of the 62 stations also provide architectural and artistic constitutes a specific feature, as these were designed by various artists. Thus, each of these breakpoints carries an individual from an architectural point of view the artist's signature and so provide a wide variety of modern architecture dar.

History

Lille, in northern France, together with its numerous surrounding communities with more than one million inhabitants, is the fourth-largest agglomeration in the country. The introduction of a metro system was required for this metropolitan area.

In 1968 the foundation of the Communauté Urbaine de Lille ( CUDL ), which sat among other things due to an expected traffic chaos in the future, the improvement of public transport as a target. After studying this scenario the traffic chaos could be prevented only when a public transport would have a high frequency and an independent infrastructure. The choice of the appropriate transport system from the CUDL was still kept open.

For such a system, several criteria have been established. On one hand, the transport should provide an ideal possible travel speed, on the other hand had to be possible also a high frequency at peak times, although only a transport of an estimated 6,000 persons was to provide per hour. Consequently, a concept for public transport for the city of Lille and its surrounding communities in 1971 announced internationally, which should fulfill several conditions. These included a separate track system, a cruising speed of over 30 km / h and a frequency of trains from one train per minute, fully automatic operation without driver and a small gauge. In addition, the operating costs and construction costs should be kept low in order to facilitate the implementation of the project.

In 1972, a consortium of companies led by the MATRA was declared the winner of this competition. This allowed the VAL system to be developed (VAL: Vehicle of automatique Léger, lighter automatically operated train ). In the years 1973 and 1974, two prototypes were tested on a trial site. After final exams and assessments, the Conseil de la Communauté urbaine de Lille decided ( German Council of the Urban Community of Lille) on March 29, 1974, a system of four VAL- lines to build. It is conceded the section between Villeneuve d'Ascq Lille and a priority.

The construction of the plants at the later terminus line 1, 4 Cantons in Villeneuve d' Ascq, took place in 1977. Construction began on the route of line 1 in the following year. During the construction we took the original concept currently some corrections. So called the Local Government Association, Lille -Roubaix - Tourcoing that not as initially provided Wendeschleifen constructed on the route ends and thus bi-directional vehicles are used. Without this appeal, the association means vehicles would have been sufficient for the operation of the line. Also replied to the criticism from the public to partially take over planning the route, which delayed the completion and commissioning of the system.

The end of the construction work was carried out on 25 April 1983, when the first line between 4 Cantons and République opened in presence of the then French President François Mitterrand. For two weeks, the metro was to visit as part of the open days, some 400,000 people took advantage of this offer. On 16 May 1983, the commercial operation of the subway began. The system proved to be very good and had success. It was then in February 1984, the decision to build a second metro line, the line 1to, taken, on this technical basis. On 2 May 1984, for the second section between République and CHR B- Calmette inaugurated. Since then, the route reaches a length of 13.5 km, of which 8.5 km are run underground. To date, the line experienced one will not be extended.

Mid-1980s there has been a controversial debate whether the Metro system should be developed at the expense of the tram network in the region. As a result of this discussion it was recognized by that the tram network will act in addition to the metro. For attractiveness tram wanted to modernize this in the coming years.

Furthermore, we focused on the construction of Line 1 bis, which was designated as a branch line of Line 1. A first part of this line was (now the Gare Lille Flandres ) completed on 3 April 1989 between St- Philibert and Gare. With the first extension of the line from the Gare Lille Flandres to the new TGV station Gare Lille Europe on 5 May 1994 was the renaming of the line as line 2, as these lost the character of a branch line of Line 1.

In the following years, the route was extended steadily from 1995 to Fort de Mons, 1999 to Tourcoing Centre and in 2000 became nearly the Belgian border with the CH station Reached Dron. Currently, the line 2 is 31.7 km and 43 stations, the longest automated line in the world.

Construction and planning

Since many years, an extension of Line 1 is drawn to the airport Lille -Lesquin into consideration. This extension can be used both by the end of the track CHR B- Calmette and 4 Cantons done with 4.5 km of additional route. An extension of the line from C.H.R. B- Calmette would have the advantage to exploit the communities Wattignies, Ronchin and Fâches - Thumesnil. However, this extension of the metro line is a tram-train project in the competition. At present, the extension to Wattignies or to the airport is unlikely to extend by one station from CHR Calmette but is considered to open up to the new industrial park " Eurasanté ".

In planning also is to make the trains run in multiple traction because the platforms are since the building 52 m long ( twice as long as the vehicles). During rush hours the trains are regularly crowded despite the one-minute clock, with a further compression stroke for operational reasons is not possible. However, the acquisition of additional vehicles is estimated at 400 million euros, which is why a conversion only about 2015 to 2017 can be considered.

For line 2, there are plans to further expand the range of a hand of St. Philibert after Perenchies and also by CH Dron to the town of Mouscron in Belgium to extend. This could in the future from Roubaix more branches may enter by Hem and Wattrelos. But the extension of the metro line depends not only on the will of the municipalities concerned by legal regulations between France and Belgium, who encounter difficulties and thus jeopardize the realization of this project.

The construction of a third line is currently reset, the connection is served by a bus route. In the long term this axis could be served by a tram-train.

Rolling stock

The vehicles are a key component of the fully automated VAL system. Therefore, the new vehicle type VAL 206 has been specially developed for this subway system. 2000 of them was a second generation, the VAL 208, set to the line 1 is in operation.

The metro trains the system VAL are very different from conventional models metro vehicles. Trains run as a two-car unit, this has a length of 26.14 m, a width of 2.06 m, a height of 3.25 m and an empty weight of around 28 tonnes. This results in a U- Bahn systems unusually small gauge.

Each of the two cars has two axes, each with two rubber wheels and four horizontally arranged thereto wheels with rubber tires. The latter put pressure on the guide rail and therefore having the car. The interior of the rubber tires is in each case a further tire in order to prevent damage during the deformation. Thus it can be secured, that when incidents occur, the vehicles can drive at least to the next station.