Line D () is a rapid-transit line on the
Lyon Metro. It runs east–west underneath the two major rivers of Lyon, France, connecting
Vieux Lyon
Vieux Lyon (, ) is the largest Renaissance district of Lyon. In 1964, Vieux-Lyon, the city's oldest district, became the first site in France to be protected under the Malraux law to protect France's cultural sites. Covering an area of 424 hecta ...
with the
Presqu'ile and the
Part-Dieu region. Line D commenced operation under human control on 4 September 1991, between ''Gorge de Loup'' and ''Grange Blanche''.
It was extended from ''Grange Blanche'' to ''
Gare de Vénissieux'' on 11 December 1992, when it switched to automatic (driverless) operation, also known as MAGGALY (''Métro Automatique à Grand Gabarit de l’Agglomération Lyonnaise'').
On 28 April 1997, the line was extended from ''Gorge de Loup'' to ''Gare de Vaise''.
Being the deepest of the lines in Lyon, it was constructed mainly using
boring machines and passes under both rivers, the ''
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...
'' and the ''
Saône
The Saône ( , ; ; ) is a river in eastern France (modern Regions of France, region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté). It is a right tributary of the Rhône, rising at Vioménil in the Vosges (department), Vosges Departments of France, department an ...
''. At long
and serving 15 stations,
it is also the longest metro line in Lyon.
List of the stations
*
Gare de Vaise
*
Valmy
*
Gorge de Loup ( Western Lyon tram-train)
*
Vieux Lyon–Cathédrale Saint-Jean
*
Bellecour
*
Guillotière–Gabriel Péri
*
Saxe–Gambetta
*
Garibaldi
*
Sans Souci
*
Monplaisir–Lumière
*
Grange Blanche
*
Laënnec
*
Mermoz–Pinel
*
Parilly
*
Gare de Vénissieux
Chronology
* 9 September 1991: Opening of line D from ''Gorge de Loup'' to ''Grange Blanche''
* 11 December 1992: Extension from ''Grange Blanche'' to ''Gare de Vénissieux''
* 28 April 1997: Extension from ''Gorge de Loup'' to ''Gare de Vaise''
Rolling stock
Since the opening of the line in 1991, there are 36
MPL 85 trains. The MPL 85 are composed of 2 cars per trainset.
From 2020, only during peak hours, each train could combine two MPL 85 trainsets and form a single train of 4 cars.
In 2016, new
MPL 16 trains have been ordered to
Alstom
Alstom SA () is a French multinational rolling stock manufacturer which operates worldwide in rail transport markets. It is active in the fields of passenger transportation, signaling, and locomotives, producing high-speed, suburban, regional ...
. 18 of them will circulate on the line starting from 2027, in addition to MPL 85 trains. The 2 cars of each train will be
connected with gangways, which is a novelty in Lyon Metro rolling stock.
The MPL 16 trains won't be able to run on the line D with the current driverless system, MAGGALY. To overcome this problem, the line D will get a new driverless system, the same as the one equipping
line B since 2022, where MPL 16 circulate too.
References
External links
Transports en Commun Lyonnais (TCL)
1991 establishments in France
2nd arrondissement of Lyon
3rd arrondissement of Lyon
5th arrondissement of Lyon
7th arrondissement of Lyon
8th arrondissement of Lyon
9th arrondissement of Lyon
Articles containing video clips
D
People mover systems in France
Railway lines opened in 1991
Rubber-tyred metros
{{France-metro-stub