Toulouse Metro

The Toulouse Metro (Métro de Toulouse, Mètro de Tolosa) is a rapid transit system serving Toulouse Métropole, France. It is the only Metro system in Occitania. The city's public transport system was initially managed by the Société d'économie mixte des voyageurs de l'agglomération toulousaine (SEMVAT; literally the Toulouse Passengers' Mixed Economy Company), which was a company 80% owned by local government bodies and 20% privately owned. It has been managed by Tisséo Voyageurs, under the authority of Tisséo Collectivités, also named the Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun, an authority established by various local government bodies, since 2003.

In 2018, the network was used by 110.3 million passengers. The Toulouse Metro consists of two primarily underground metro lines, Line A and Line B, that together serve 37 stations, comprising 28.2 km of route. It is supplemented by the Toulouse railway network (including suburban Line C, Line D and Line F), Toulouse tramway (Line T1 and T2—former Line E) which serves the northwestern suburbs and Toulouse–Blagnac Airport and by Téléo, an urban Tricable gondola line in the south in the city.

History

 * 1983: City Council decides to create a metro line on a south-western/north-eastern axis.
 * 1985: the municipality decides to use VAL technology.
 * 1987: the project receives planning and environmental approvals.
 * 1989: beginning of work on Line A.
 * 1993: opening of Line A.
 * 1997: beginning of preliminary studies for the extension of Line A and the construction of Line B.
 * 2001: beginning of work on extension of Line A and construction of Line B.
 * December 2003: Opening of the extension of line A to Balma-Gramont.
 * 30 June 2007: Opening of Line B, (Borderouge - Ramonville).
 * 2010: Tram Line T1 opens from Arènes to Blagnac
 * 2013: Opening of the extension of Line T1 to Palais de Justice
 * 2015: Opening of Line T2
 * May 2022: Opening of Téléo line
 * December 2022: beginning of work on construction of Line C
 * 2028: Planned start of operations of the Line C (third metro line)

Network
The Toulouse Metro is currently composed of two lines:
 * Line A (12.5 km), Basso-Cambo - Balma Gramont. Opened in 1993, it is mainly underground, but comprises some elevated sections.
 * Line B (15.7 km), Borderouge - Ramonville. On a north–south axis, entirely underground and which opened on 30 June 2007.

Metro: Line A
Line A currently comprises 18 stations on a 12.5-kilometre (7.8 mi) route. The original section of Line A opened in June 1993; an extension from Jolimont to Balma-Gramont opened in 2002. It extends from the shopping centre of Balma through Toulouse with stations at Marengo (connecting with the main SNCF railway station), Capitole, Place Esquirol and University of Mirail. After its final station, Basso-Cambo, is a carriage shed-workshop, which provides storage, maintenance and tests of the rolling stock for the whole of network. The Central Control Centre is also located at the garage-workshop.

Its operating hours are 05:15 AM to midnight (Sunday to Thursday), and until 03:00 AM (Friday and Saturday).

In order to reduce costs, five of the 18 stations have short platforms. Long platforms are needed to use four-carriage trains instead of two in order to double the capacity of the line. As a result, 13 years after its opening the line is saturated - peak hour lasts longer and longer, and the opening of Line B (2007), Line E (2009) and various exclusive bus lanes will bring additional traffic flows on to Line A and suggests that the use of Line A will become increasingly uncomfortable. Short platforms were lengthened from 2015 to 2019 and longer trains serve the whole line since early 2020.

Metro: Line B
This line has initially 20 stations on a 15.7 km route. It opened on 30 June 2007. Car parks have been built at Borderouge, and Ramonville stations. New bus stations have been built Borderouge, Université Paul Sabatier and Ramonville stations.

In January 2006, the Mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc called for a fast decision on a southern extension of Line B. This extension would include 2.5 km of line on viaduct, with a crossing of the Canal du Midi and the A61 autoroute, four stations and would terminate at Labège - Innopole. It would cost €330 million and be opened in 2019. This project has been shortened in favor of a third metro line. The shortened version for the extension will open in 2027.

Tram: Lines T1 and T2


The Tramway Line T1 runs between MEETT and Toulouse-Arènes passing through Blagnac. It was to open in November 2010, but this was delayed by industrial action; instead it opened in December 2010. The extension to Palais de Justice was opened in 2013 and the one to MEETT was opened in 2020. The line has 25 stops: -Palais de Justice (Connection to Metro lines B)-Ile du Ramier - Fer à Cheval- Avenue de Muret - Croix de Pierre - Déodat de Séverac - Arènes (Connection to Metro line A and train line Arènes-Colomiers) - Hippodrome- Zénith - Cartoucherie - Purpan - Arênes Romaines - Ancely - Servanty - Guyenne - Pasteur - Relais - Marronniers - Patinoire - Grand Noble - Georges Brassens - Lycée - Beauzelle -Aéroconstellation -MEETT

Line T2 opened in 2015 as a branch of line T1. Both lines have a common section from southern terminus Palais de Justice to Ancely. Then, line T2 goes toward Toulouse Blagnac airport. Line T2 was closed in 2023 in order to construct the Aeroport Express line.

Technology
Lines A and B are automatic metro lines, which use VAL technology built by Matra, now part of Siemens Transportation Systems.

Since the upgrade, all of the 18 stations on line A are 52 m long and can therefore handle four-car trains. Platform screen doors separate the platforms from the tracks and are synchronised with the doors of the trains. Therefore, each platform must be absolutely straight. Each two-car set can accommodate from 150 to 220 people.

The trains have rubber tyres and use a third rail 750 V direct current electric supply. They can climb slopes of up to 7%, reach a top speed of approximately 60 km/h, and can operate on the line at a maximum frequency of 65 seconds.

A central control centre regulates the network and ensures its safety and can take control of trains remotely in the event of an incident or a breakdown.

Currently, two types of rolling stock are in circulation: VAL 206 and VAL 208. In total, 116 trains serve the network. The name of the next station is announced just before each stop and just after the departure from the preceding station. In VAL 208 trains, the name of the next station and its connections are shown in each car on a panel of LEDs.

Abandoned plans
Until 2014, an extension of the tram line to Grand Rond was planned. Another tram line would have also been built in time for the arrival of the LGV Bordeaux–Toulouse. The project has been canceled in 2014 due to the change of leadership of the city in favor of the new metro line. Extensions to Saint-Orens and Plaisance-du-Touch were also envisioned but they were canceled in 2010 and replaced by bus lines.

In January 2006, the Mayor of Toulouse, Jean-Luc Moudenc called for a fast decision on a southern extension of Line B. This 5.2 km extension would include an underground crossing of the Canal du Midi followed by a 4.5 km viaduct. It would include five new overhead stations and would terminate at Labège - La Cadène. It would cost €365 million and be opened in 2020. In 2015, this project was shelved in favor of a third metro line. It has reappered in a shortened version in 2016.

A plan for a 5 km line A northern extension to L'Union was mentioned. The terminus station would be at Plaine des Monges. The plan was never studied. Plans for extension of the subway network to Saint-Simon were also vaguely mentioned by local representatives but never studied.

Metro Line C
In December 2015, the transport authority SMTC unveiled the outline route for what was then called the Toulouse Aerospace Express, which will be the third metro line in the city. The 27 km 20 station line will connect the Colomiers railway station near the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport on the west through city centre before ending at Labège in the southeastern suburb of Toulouse. Further studies and a public inquiry took place to select the final route. The line is expected to cost €3.151bn and to finish construction in 2028. The line has been renamed line C in 2022. Construction has started in December 2022. Cost have risen to €3.1bn.

Metro Line B extension
An extension of Line B to Labège Madron to connect to line C is also in construction. The project is named Connexion Ligne B and is expected to cost around €250mn. It is a shortened version of the former extension project. It is expected to be achieved in 2027.

Trains
15 new trains were ordered in 2020 and are expected to enter service in 2025.

Tram T2 reopening
Tramway line T2 will reopen in 2026 as the Aeroport Express line. It will use the existing infrastructure to provide a shuttle service from future Blagnac line C metro station to the station of the Toulouse-Blagnac airport.