The Lyon Metro consists of four lines, A, B, C and D, each identified on maps by its own colour:
Lines A and B Line A from
Perrache to
Laurent Bonnevay–Astroballe and
Line B from
Charpennes to
Part-Dieu were constructed by cut-and-cover and went into service on 2 May 1978, as the inaugural lines of the Lyon Metro. Trains on both lines run on rubber tyres rather than steel wheels. Line B was extended to
Jean Macé on 9 September 1981, to
Stade de Gerland on 4 September 2000 as well as later to ''Gare d'Oullins'' on 11 December 2013. An extension to
Vaulx-en-Velin–La Soie on Line A opened in October 2007. The
MPL 75 trains previously used on Line B are meant to join the other MPL 75s on Line A to increase capacity. An extension to Line B saw two stations,
Oullins Centre and
Saint-Genis-Laval–Hôpital Lyon Sud open on 20 October 2023.
Line C The
Croix-Rousse-Croix-Paquet rack railway, which was refurbished in 1974, was integrated into the Metro in 1978 as
Line C, with an extension to
Hôtel de Ville–Louis Pradel (thus running from
Hôtel de Ville–Louis Pradel to
Croix-Rousse). It was extended to
Cuire on 8 December 1984. The line was constructed using various methods; the incline rising through a deep tunnel, the portion on the flat at
Croix-Rousse using cut-and-cover while the section beyond
Hénon runs on the surface. The
Croix Paquet station claims to be the steepest metro station in Europe, with an incline of 17%. Line C uses overhead wires and steel wheels while Lines A, B and D use a
third rail and rubber tyres. Until
Paris Métro Line 15 opens it is the only metro line in France to use overhead lines and the only steel wheeled metro line in France outside Paris.
Line D Line D, the first fully automatic metro line in France, started with operators on board trains on 4 September 1991, between
Gorge de Loup and
Grange Blanche. The line was extended to
Gare de Vénissieux on 11 December 1992, when it switched to driverless operation. On 28 April 1997, it was extended again to
Gare de Vaise. Using rubber tyres like lines A and B, trains on line D are controlled by a system known as MAGGALY (
Métro Automatique à Grand Gabarit de l’Agglomération Lyonnaise). Unusually for a driverless metro, no
platform screen doors are installed on station platforms. The trains use infrared sensors to detect obstructions on the track. Other systems using a similar technology include the
Nuremberg U-Bahn (
U2 &
U3) and
Budapest Metro's Line 4. The deepest line in Lyon, Line D was constructed partly using
boring machines and passes under both rivers, the
Rhône and
Saône. At long with 15 stations, it is also the longest line in Lyon. In 2016, new MPL 16 rolling stock was ordered from
Alstom for Line B and Line D; it came into service on Line B in 2022. These trains allow for an increase in capacity on Line D. Further, they will be coupled to form four-car units at rush hours and should replace the
MPL 75 of Line B which would then solely run on Line A.
Map ==Operation==