Lausanne Metro

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The Lausanne Metro system includes two lines in Lausanne, Switzerland. The Line m1 is a light metro, while the Line m2 is a fully automated metro currently under construction, for an opening in 2008. When it opens, Lausanne will replace Rennes as the smallest city in the world to have a full metro system.

Contents 1 Line m1 1.1 Stations 2 Line m2 2.1 History 2.2 Technical 2.2.1 Characteristics of the line 2.2.2 Performances 2.2.3 A rubber-tyred metro 2.2.4 Automated metro 2.2.5 A separated right of way line 2.2.6 Safe and practical stations 2.3 Trains 2.3.1 Technical data of the trains 2.3.2 Capacity of the trains 2.3.3 Delivery of the trains 2.4 Accidents 2.5 Stations 2.6 Possibles extensions 3 Former Lausanne-Ouchy line 3.1 Network 3.2 Charactéristics 3.3 History 4 External links

[edit] Line m1

The m1 Metro was opened on May 24, 1991. Its original name was TSOL (Tramway du Sud-Ouest lausannois) and this abbreviation is still widely used by the commuters who are using the line. The m1 is a light metro with only three underground stations.

The line, which is 5 miles (8km) long, links the center of Lausanne, the major Universities (EPFL, UNIL) and Renens.

The line is run by the Transports publics de la région lausannoise (TL, formerly Tramways lausannois).

[edit] Stations

[edit] Line m2

The métro de Lausanne (m2) is currently under construction, using the stretch formerly occupied by the Lausanne-Ouchy, and then a brand new extension towards Epalinges, and will cross the whole Lausanne city from south to north.

[edit] History

• Complementary enquiry: september 2001
• Decision by the State Council : june 2002
• Funding requested from the High Council: september 2002
• Popular vote : end 2002
• Metro-Ouchy operations stopped : january 2006
• Duration of construction : 4 to 5 years
• In operation: end of the third quarter 2008

[edit] Technical

• Mostly in tunnel
• Rubber-tyred metro with the steepest slopes in Europe.

[edit] Characteristics of the line

• 3.7 miles (6km) from Ouchy to Epalinges, including 1 mile (1.5km) replacing the former Lausanne-Ouchy.
• 14 stations.
• 1190ft slope (375 metres) slope.
• 5.7% slope average with maximum of 12%. The constraints in braking distance and deceleration will be such that the M2 will be faster upwards than downwards.

[edit] Performances

• 25 millions ¨passengers/year (forecast)
• 37 000 jobs serviced.
• 37 mph (60 km/h) top speed.
• 18 minutes from one end of the line to the other.
• Up to 6 600 passengers/hour in each direction.
• One train every 3 minutes between CFF Station and La Sallaz (Every 6 minutes at the rest of the line).

[edit] A rubber-tyred metro

A Rubber-tyred metro is able to climb at high speed the Lausanne slopes (12% in some places ; 5.7% average on the whole line).

[edit] Automated metro

The Line m2 is entirely automated, managed from a central command station. This means that the exploitation is cheaper and that allows more adaptability during peak hours. The stations are equipped with platform screen doors and a dedicated station personnel assists the commuters.

[edit] A separated right of way line

The m2 runs on its own line, with a double track (except in the tunnel under the CFF station due to high costs), underground for most (70%) of the itinerary. The metro is the ideal solution to the security and congestion problems of the urban public transportation, the subway can run without interfering with surface traffic.

[edit] Safe and practical stations

The underground stations are located as close as possible to the surface. They are equipped with stairs, lifts and facilities for handicapped people. The Lausanne slopes have been used to create multi-level access, make ramp access easier and favour as much as possible natural light.

[edit] Trains

• Articulated vehilcles with 4 powered bogies.
• 222 passengers, 62 seated.
• Rubber-tyred metro with lateral guidance based on the MP 89 from Paris Métro.
• Fully automated (Meteor).

[edit] Technical data of the trains

• Length of a train : 34 yards (30.68m)
• Length of a car : 15 yards (15.34m)
• Width of a car : 7ft (2.45m)
• Height of the car wrt to ground level: 11ft (3.47m)
• Mass of an empty train : 57 316 kg
• Mass of a train at maximum load (4 p/m²) : 72 856 kg (¹)
• Width of the access doors : 5ft (1.65m)
• Height of the access doors : 6ft (1.9m)

(¹) Calculated with an average of 70 kg per passenger.

[edit] Capacity of the trains

[edit] Delivery of the trains

The first train was delivered on march 2 2006 in Lausanne. Since then, all the other trains have been delivered at a rate of two per month. When they arrive, the trains have been stored in the CFF storage of Lausanne. Then, by fall 2006, the subway workshop facility having been completed, the vehicles have been moved finnaly to the Vennes facility for a dynamic storage.

[edit] Accidents

On Februrary 23 2005, part of the tunnel under construction collapsed under the Saint-Laurent square in the center of Lausanne. More than 500 m³ of gravel (water and earth) fall in the tube, forming a huge fifteen meter gap. The area has been completely evacuated for a few days and consolidation and geological analysis works start. A large pocket of water hadn't been noticed during the initial explorations.

Repair work has lasted for a few months. The incident had fortunately no major consequence, nobody was in the area of the collapse which has heavily damaged a mall. Part of the budget had been earmarked for such risks and the deadline for the construction in December 2008 should not be directly affected.

On October 27, 2006, a construction worker dies from injuries. He had fallen a few days before on the construction site at the level of the entrance of the CHUV.

[edit] Stations

[edit] Possibles extensions

The end station Les Croisettes has been designed to allow a future extension of the line to the north towards Epalinges-Village, or even Le Chalet-à-Gobet.

[edit] Former Lausanne-Ouchy line

The Lausanne-Ouchy railway had been inaugurated in 1877 as a funicular. In 1959 the first overhaul took place by transforming the funicular in a rack railway under the name "métro". At that time Flon and Gare CFF stations were demolished and replaced by concrete underground equivalents. The line was however always nicknamed "La Ficelle" (The String) by its users due to its funicular past and was circulating above ground in the greenery for more than half of its run.

Connected to the Flon facilities, the freight trains from the main station to the storage area of the harbour (in Flon) were transiting through this line till the construction of a direct connection between the freight station of Sébeillon and the Flon valley, in 1954.

The line was finally closed to all circulation on January 22 2006. The rolling stock will be sold to the French city of Villard-de-Lans which foresees the construction of a new rack railway, La Patache to ensure a link between the center of Villard and Le Balcon de Villard in 2008.

A bus service has been put into operation to replace "La Ficelle" till the opening of the new metro m2. This service is called Métrobus (MB) the south loop links Ouchy to the CFF station and the north loop links the station to Montbenon (which is located right above the Flon area).

[edit] Network

• 2 parallel lines
  • Ouchy - Jordils - Montriond - CFF Station - Flon (Métro-Ouchy)
  • CFF Station - Flon (Métro-Gare)

[edit] Charactéristics

• Ouchy - Flon
  • length 1568 yards (1482m)
  • altitude difference 106 m
  • slope 11,6%
  • train every 8 minutes
• CFF Station - Flon
  • length 318 m
  • altitude difference 37 m
  • slope 12%
  • continuous circulation without timetable

[edit] History

• 1877, creation of the funicular Ouchy - CFF Station - Flon
• 1879, creation of the funicular CFF Station - Flon, parallel to the initial one
• Traction by gravitation with water tanks
• 1954, transformation of the section CFF Station - Flon to the rack mode
• 1958, transformation of the section CFF Station - Flon to the rack mode
• 1984, sold to the city of Lausanne
• January 22, 2006, end of the exploitation to allow the conversion into Metro m2 and extension to Epalinges
• 2008, inauguration of line m2

[edit] External links

• (French) Transports Lausannois (TL)
• (French)Métro de Lausanne
• (French)Site non officiel du m2 (Photos, Infos)
• (English) Métro de Lausanne par Urbanrail
• (French)Le Lausanne-Ouchy (Photos)
• (French)LO - Métro Lausanne-Ouchy (Photos)
• (English)Lausanne-Ouchy
• (French)Article sur Jean Perret, père du chemin de fer à crémaillère
• (French)galerie www.photos-trains.ch
• (French)Une petite recherche sur la compagnie du Lausanne-Ouchy et la gare de Sébeillon, par Julien Sansonnens