Toulouse Metro, France

Toulouse, now the fourth largest city in France with 700,000 inhabitants, is at the centre of a metropolitan area in the south-west of the country. It has potential serious transport problems because expansion is taking place in regenerated wastelands with a poor road network.

Toulouse has chosen a blend of rail solutions, including high-frequency commuter rail, rubber-tyred VAL metro in tunnel and steel-wheel surface tramway, all taking maximum advantage of existing infrastructure constraints. The loss of central government support however means that the financial burden for expansion now rests on local taxation, not an altogether popular move.

The 2001 local election gave a mandate to appoint Connex to run bus and rail services instead of incumbent public-private operator SEMVAT, which had been responsible since 1973. The change was activated in 2005.

THE PROJECT

The authority in charge of the city's public transport, the Syndicat Mixte des Transport en Commun (SMTC - now branded Tisséo), gave the green light for the construction of the 10km-long Line A in 1985. It was designed as a fully automated VAL (Véhicule Automatique Léger) system based on the successful model previously established in the northern French city of Lille.

VAL comprises driverless (automatic) rubber-tyred vehicles, using technology devised by Professor Robert Gabillard for Matra's 1983 metro in Lille. Platforms are separated from passengers by a glass partition to prevent them falling or straying, while doors embedded in these see-through barriers open in synchrony with train doors.

Line A, opened on 26 June 1993 and extended on 20 December 2003, runs mostly underground from Basso Cambo in the south, and through the city centre to Balma-Gramont.

Line B, to fully open in 2009, is entirely underground from Ramonville-Saint-Agne, at roughly 5pm on the clockface, interchanging with the original line at Jean-Jaurés and thence to Borderrouge.

Lines C, solving the pressing needs of the eastern side of Toulouse, required SNCF to import the ideas of Paris' high-frequency, high-capacity RER to upgrade an existing 7km heavy rail line. Since 1 September 2003, the dormitory suburb of Colomiers has enjoyed a journey time of less than 30 minutes into central Toulouse, interchanging with metro Line A at St Cyprien-Arènes.

A further RER expansion is the new Line D to the southern township of Muret, making greater use of the present SNCF line from Marengo station (an interchange with VAL line A) and crossing Line B at the SNCF's Saint Agne station.

Line E (11.8km, 2009) is the first of several tramways. Costing €200 million, it starts at Les Arenes Metro station and heads northwest through densely populated housing areas and past important public buildings to Blagnac, home of AéroConstellation.

ROLLING STOCK

On Line A, two-car trains operate from 0530 until 0030, accommodating 150 to 200 passengers. The two designs, VAL206 and the more recent VAL208, are built to climb 7% gradients and can reach 60km/h. With simple interiors because passengers are not aboard for many minutes, the cars all have internal displays which announce the name of the next stopping place.

The ability to use a common fleet of trains for Line B is estimated to have saved the SMTC substantial sums, a major factor in the order of 34 additional sets.

Non-specific, Paris-style RER mainline stock is employed on Lines C and D, while the tramway will require off-the-shelf vehicles common through Europe.

INFRASTRUCTURE

The VAL system operates by a fully-automatic driverless method. The French arm of European rail engineering giant Adtranz (now Bombardier) provided the technical equipment. For the first line's construction its ABB Energie subsidiary, based at Nanterre, built and equipped five traction and 15 distribution sub-stations and provided all the medium voltage equipment installed in them.

The theme of adaptation of common equipment between the two lines is continued in the choice of substation equipment for Line B, which was supplied by ABB to the same specification as the original line. The new lines make use of the original workshop and train stabling facility provided at Basso Cambo (being expanded), although a second depot has been set up at Ramonville, the terminus of Line B.

Line C and D have required little major alteration from the existing railway.

SIGNALLING / COMMUNICATIONS

The driverless control system used on the VAL lines is a development of the PA135 'driver's aid' which is a central feature of all 13 lines of the Paris Metro. The system is governed by the Sacem automatic signalling concept, which is also in use in Paris and was developed by MTI in conjunction with Alstom. Line B employs an automatic, numeric operation system monitored by control centre operators via multi-media consoles.

The system has been proved through its use on the previous incarnations of the VAL concept in addition to Toulouse and Paris - it is also in use in Lille, Chicago and Taipei. The developers boast that in the 16 years of operation before it was chosen for Toulouse not a single accident had been recorded.

There is a high level of security on the system with 250 CCTV cameras in place, a high visible staff presence and a determined anti-graffiti policy.

THE FUTURE

The medium-term public transport blueprint for Toulouse is under constant review, and expansion of VAL, commuter rail and light rail is all likely.

As well as increasing capacity on Lines A to E to accommodate longer trains, two new lines are possible. Line F is also heavy rail-inspired, upgrading the Esqualquens route into the south east. Line G is a cross-city corridor from Ponts Jumeaux to Montandran using part of VAL Line B (which could also be extended south from Ramonville to Castanet).

Another proposal, so far without a line designation, is from Balma Gramont, the current northern limit of Line A, skirting the current right-hand edge of the Toulouse urban area, to Saint Orens.

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