Transpole

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Map of Lille's metro and tramway lines
Map of Lille's metro and tramway lines

Transpole is the public transport operator for the Lille Métropole, the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Lille in northern France. It operates a mixed system, comprising buses, trams and a driverless metro system. The company is a subsidiary of Keolis, the largest private sector French transport group.

Contents

[edit] Metro

A train of type Val-208 on the Lille Metro
A train of type Val-208 on the Lille Metro
Main article: Lille Metro

The Lille Metro is a VAL system (véhicule automatique léger = light automated vehicle), which opened on May 16, 1983, becoming the first automatic metro line in the world. The metro system has two lines, with a total length of 45 km (28 mi) and 60 stations. All stations have doors between the platform and the train.[1]

Line 1 is 13.5 km (8.4 mi) long, of which 8.5 km (5.3 mi) are underground, with 18 stations. The line links Loos, to the south-west of Lille, with Villeneuve d'Ascq, to the south-east, via central Lille and the Gare de Lille-Flandres. Line 2 is 32 km (20 mi) long with 43 stations. It links Lomme, to the west of Lille, to the Belgian border, via central Lille, the Gare de Lille-Flandres, Roubaix and Tourcoing.

[edit] Tramway

One of the tram cars, at Marcq-en-Baroeul on the Roubaix line
One of the tram cars, at Marcq-en-Baroeul on the Roubaix line

The tram system consists of two interurban tram lines, connecting central Lille to the nearby communities of Roubaix and Tourcoing, and has 45 stops. The tram is often called the Mongy, after Alfred Mongy, the engineer who created the lines. The lines were built at the same time as the boulevards linking Lille to its two neighbours, and the lines run on reserved track within the boulevards for most of their length.[1][2]

The first tram line in Lille was built 1874, and the electrification of the town system started in 1897. The current interurban lines were built in 1909. While most urban lines in Lille were abandoned after 1950, the Mongy remained in service as the backbone of the public transport network of the TCC, the predecessor of Transpole. Whilst the expansion of the Metro initially threatened the trams, they were kept in service.[2][3]

The line originally terminated in the street outside the Opera House in Lille, but was diverted into a tunnel and underground terminus at the Gare de Lille-Flandres, thus offering interchange with both lines of the Metro. The line was renovated between 1991 and 1994, and new low floor trams were provided. The lines are built to metre gauge and are electrifed at 750 volts DC.[2][3]

[edit] Buses

Transpole also operates 68 urban bus routes, 8 of which reach into Belgium.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c Travel & Transport. La mairie de Lille. Retrieved on 2008-02-18.
  2. ^ a b c Based on a translation of the article Transpole from the French Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
  3. ^ a b Based on a translation of the article Transpole from the German Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.

[edit] External links


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