Rapid transit in France

There are several rapid transit systems in France. Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Paris, Rennes and Toulouse all have metro systems. Twenty-six French cities have light rail and tram systems.

Metros
Location Name Year opened Stations Total
route length		 Year of last extension
Lille Lille Metro 1983[1] 60[2] 45 km (28 mi)[2] 2000[1]
Lyon Lyon Metro 1978[3] 39[3] 30.3 km (18.8 mi)[3] 2013[3][note 1]
Marseille Marseille Metro 1977 28[4] 21.5 km (13.4 mi)[4] 2010
Paris Paris Métro 1900[5] 300[6][7] 213 km (132 mi)[6][7] 2013
Rennes Rennes Metro 2002 15 9.4 km (5.8 mi) 2002
Toulouse Toulouse Metro 1993[8] 37[8] 28.2 km (17.5 mi)[8] 2007[8][note 2]

Trams and light rail
Main article: Trams in France
Citadis (left) and Eurotram (right) cars in Strasbourg

Trams in France go back to 1837 when a 15 km steam tram line connected Montrond-les-Bains and Montbrison in the Loire.[9] With the development of electric trams at the end of the 19th century, networks proliferated in French cities over a period of 15 years. Although nearly all of the country's tram systems were replaced by bus services in the 1930s or shortly after World War II, France is now in the forefront of the revival of tramways and light rail systems around the globe. Only trams lines in Lille and Saint-Étienne have operated continuously since the 19th century. Since the opening of the Nantes tramway in 1985, more than twenty towns and cities across France have built new tram lines. As of 2013, there are 25 operational tram networks in France, with 3 under construction and 4 more planned. France is also home to Alstom, a leading tram manufacturer.[10]

List of trams and light rail systems
Location Relevant Wikipedia article Year opened Stations Total
route length		 Type
Angers Angers tramway 2011 25 12.3 km (7.6 mi) Tram
Bordeaux Bordeaux tramway 2003 89 43.9 km (27.3 mi) Tram
Brest Brest Tramway 2012 28 14.3 km (8.9 mi) Tram
Caen Caen Tram[note 3] 2002 34 15.7 km (9.8 mi) TVR
Clermont-Ferrand Clermont-Ferrand Tramway 2006 31 14.2 km (8.8 mi) Translohr
Dijon Dijon Tramway 2012 35 19 km (12 mi) Tram
Grenoble Grenoble tramway 1987 81 46.7 km (29.0 mi)[11] Tram
Le Havre Tramway du Havre 2012 23 13 km (8.1 mi) Tram
Le Mans Le Mans tramway 2007 29 15.4 km (9.6 mi) Tram
Lille[note 4]
(to Roubaix and Tourcoing)		 Lille tramway 1909 36 Tram
Lyon[note 4] Lyon tramway 2001[12] 80[12] 53.3 km (33.1 mi)[12] Tram
Lyon[note 4] Rhônexpress (airport commuter) 2010 4[13] 22 km (14 mi)[13] Tram/Interurban
Marseille[note 4] Marseille tramway 2007[4] 28[4] 11.5 km (7.1 mi)[4] Tram
Montpellier Montpellier tramway 2000 84[14] 56 km (35 mi)[14] Tram
Mulhouse Mulhouse tramway 2006 29 16.2 km (10.1 mi) Tram
Nancy Nancy Guided Light Transit[note 3] 2000 28 11.1 km (6.9 mi) TVR
Nantes Nantes Tramway 1985 82 42 km (26 mi)[15] Tram
Nice Nice tramway 2007 21 8.7 km (5.4 mi) Tram
Orléans Orléans tramway 2000 49 29.3 km (18.2 mi) Tram
Paris[note 4] Tramways in Île-de-France 1992[16] 120[16][17][18] 104.7 km (65.1 mi)[16][17][18] Tram, Translohr, Tram-train
Reims Reims tramway 2011 23 11.2 km (7.0 mi) Tram
Rouen Tramway de Rouen 1994 31 15.1 km (9.4 mi) Tram
Saint-Etienne Saint-Étienne tramway 1881 38 11.7 km (7.3 mi) Tram
Strasbourg Strasbourg tramway 1994 67[19] 55.5 km (34.5 mi)[20] Tram
Toulouse[note 4] Toulouse tramway 2010[8] 18[8] 11 km (6.8 mi)[8] Tram

Notes
  1. Extension of Lyon Metro's Line B to Oullins Gare station.
  2. Opening of Toulouse Metro's Line B.
  3. This is a "rubber-tyred tramway" system featuring a single guide rail. The Caen system is proposed to be replaced with light rail by 2018.
  4. Cite error: The named reference Metro was invoked but never defined

References
  1. "Qui sommes-nous? - Notre Histoire" [Who are we? - Our History] (in French). Transpole. Archived from the original on 2012-09-25. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  2. "Les chiffres clés" [Key figures] (in French). Transpole. Archived from the original on 2012-10-27. Retrieved 2012-09-25.
  3. "Le Métro sur le réseau TCL" [The Metro/Subway of TCL's network] (in French). TCL - SYTRAL. Archived from the original on 2014-10-08. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  4. "Fiche d'identité de l'Entreprise - LE METRO" [ID card of the company - THE METRO]. rtm.fr (in French). Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  5. "Brief history of the Paris metro". france.fr - The official website of France. Archived from the original on 2013-09-26. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  6. "The Network - The Metro: a Parisian institution". RATP. Archived from the original on 2017-02-18. Retrieved 2013-09-21.
  7. "The RATP Dev Brochure" (PDF). RATP. June 11, 2010. p. 3. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  8. "Qui sommes-nous? - Nos réalisations" [Who are we? - Our achievements] (in French). Tisséo. Retrieved 2013-09-28.
  9. Le premier tramway de France summarised from L.-J. Gras: Histoire des premiers chemins de fer français et du premier tramway de France. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  10. ALSTOM wins French Innovation Trophy from Infrasite News. Retrieved 16 February 2009.
  11. Tag
  12. "Le Tramway sur le réseau TCL" [The Tramway in TCL's network] (in French). TCL - SYTRAL. Archived from the original on 2013-09-27. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  13. "La société Rhônexpress : les chiffres clefs du service offert" [The Rhônexpress company: Key figures for the service offered] (in French). Rhônexpress. Retrieved 2013-09-25.
  14. "Accueil - Se déplacer - Tramway - Le réseau" [Welcome - Moving around - Tram - The network] (in French). Transports de l'Agglomération de Montpellier. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04.
  15. "Accueil - et la Semitan - Les essentiels - Chiffres clés" [Welcome - Semitan - Essential facts - Key Figures]. tan.fr. Archived from the original on 2014-07-15. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  16. "RATP's tram network in Île-de-France". RATP. Archived from the original on 2014-12-25. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  17. "BIENVENUE SUR LA LIGNE T4" [WELCOME TO THE T4 LINE]. sncf.com (in French). SNCF Transilien. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  18. "le T5 en ligne - Le projet - L'essentiel" [The T5 line - the project - essentials] (in French). RATP. Archived from the original on 2013-10-04. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  19. "Tram Réseau" [Tram Network (Map)] (PDF) (in French). Retrieved 2013-09-13.
  20. "Home - CTS". Compagnie des Transports Strasbourgeios. 2013. Retrieved 2013-09-13.
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