Wonder how people move around Marseille every day? The Marseille Metro helps the city travel easily. It started in 1977 and now carries more than 210,000 people every day. New trains and upgrades are coming soon. This metro is great for daily travel, tourists, and people planning cities.
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Overview From Rubber to Robot
Launch & Legacy
The first line (Line 1) opened in November 1977. Line 2 started in March 1984. Today, the whole system is 22.7 km long. It has 31 stations. Around 210,000 people use it every day (76.7 million in 2012).
Operator
The company RTM runs the metro since 1986. It handles almost half of all public transport in Marseille.
Rubber‑Tyred Tech
The trains are special. They have rubber tires. This helps them start quickly and go up steep hills. But it also means more repairs and problems in bad weather.
Network & Operations
Lines & Timelines
Line 1 goes from La Rose to La Fourragère. It opened in 1977 and got extensions in 1978, 1992, and 2010.
Line 2 runs from Joliette to Sainte‑Marguerite Dromel. It opened between 1984 and 1986. It extended to Bougainville in 1987 and to Gèze in 2019.
Future Plans
Line 2 will grow by 4 to 4.6 km to reach Saint‑Loup Pagnol by 2030. Two new lines (Line 3 and Line 4) are planned. They will add 15 new stations and about 10 km of tracks by 2035.
Stations & Transfers
There are 31 stations in total. Line 1 has 18 stations over 12.7 km. Line 2 has 13 stations over 9.6 km. Big transfer stations are Saint‑Charles (train station) and Castellane (trams T1–T3).
Service Patterns
The metro runs from 5:00 in the morning to 1:00 at night. Trains come every 3 minutes during busy times and every 10 minutes at night or on Sundays. A full trip takes about 19 minutes on Line 1 and 16 minutes on Line 2.
Rolling Stock – MPM 76 vs Neomma
MPM 76 (Since 1976)
These are old rubber-tyred trains with four cars. They can hold 472 passengers and go up to 80 km/h. They were made by Alstom and got upgrades between 2005 and 2009.
Neomma: Automation Arrives
The new trains are called “Neomma.” These are fully automated trains made by Alstom. 38 new trains will start running between 2025 and 2027. They are 65 meters long and can carry 500 people. They have open spaces, air-conditioning, Wi‑Fi, 4G, and help for people with disabilities. These trains use less energy (25% savings) and are 96% recyclable.
ALSO Read: Emmanuel Macron: France’s Youngest President and Political Disruptor
Modernization & Future Projects
Automation & Signalling
Alstom won a big contract (worth €430–€580 million) in 2019 to make both lines automated. They will use CBTC Urbalis 400 system and the new Neomma trains. The system will start working partly automatically in 2024. Line 2 will be fully automatic by 2025, and Line 1 by 2026–2027. Platform screen doors will make things safer. Trains will come faster, even every 90 seconds.
Infrastructure Overhaul
The metro is also getting new control rooms, better train depots, new escalators, and energy upgrades. Driverless trains and braking that saves energy will make the system more modern and eco-friendly.
Conclusion
The Marseille Metro is getting smarter and greener. It started with rubber tires and will soon have smart, driverless trains by 2027. These changes will help Marseille move better and faster. It’s a big step toward the future of city travel in Southern France.