The MPM-76 (Métro Pneumatique Marseille 1976) is a type of rubber-tyred

EMU The emu (; ''Dromaius novaehollandiae'') is a species of flightless bird endemism, endemic to Australia, where it is the Tallest extant birds, tallest native bird. It is the only extant taxon, extant member of the genus ''Dromaius'' and the ...

built by

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 ...

for the

Marseille Metro The Marseille Metro (, ) is a rapid transit system serving Marseille, France. The system comprises two lines, partly underground, serving 31 stations, with an overall route length of . Line 1 opened in 1977, followed by Line 2 in 1984. Two statio ...

History

Following the 1971 call for tenders for the creation of the Marseille metro, a contract for the supply of 21 trains (of three cars each) was signed on 1 November 1973. The first train is delivered on August 27, 1976, at Saint-Marcel station. The first tests took place at the La Rose depot in September 1976. The other trains were gradually delivered until the summer of 1977. The trains are designed with the help of RATP and its subsidiary

SOFRETU SOFRETU (Société française d'études et de réalisations de transports urbains) was a French transport consulting and project development firm created in 1961 by the RATP. It has been merged with ofrerail- a SNCF branch, in 1995 and became Sy ...

. Tests have also taken place on line 11 of

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (, , or , ), short for Métropolitain (), is a rapid transit system serving the Paris metropolitan area in France. A symbol of the city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform architectur ...

. The construction is ensured by a group of industrialists, including companies CIMT (caisses) and MTE (electrical equipment), under the aegis of ''Société Générale de Travaux et d'Etudes'' (SGTE). On the occasion of the creation of the second metro line, 15 additional trains (with three cars) are ordered and are delivered at the beginning of the year 1983. In addition, a fourth car is added on the existing trains to cope with the increase of passengers. These cars are delivered and installed during the year 1985. In 2005, trains sustain a mid-life renovation.

Specifications

Overview

The trains have a length of and a width of , for an empty weight of 75 tons. The cars are made of welded aluminum. The electricity supply is done by means of a wiper. The supply voltage is 750 volts DC. The MPM 76 is a

rubber-tyred metro A rubber-tyred metro or rubber-tired metro is a form of rapid transit system that uses a mix of road transport, road and rail transport, rail technology. The vehicles have wheels with rubber tires that run on a roll way inside guide bars for tr ...

and uses the technology developed by the RATP for the

Paris metro Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

. It is derived from the RATP

MP 73 The MP 73 (; ) is rolling stock on tires for Paris Métro Line 6. Put into service in 1974, it is similar to the MP 59 performance-wise, with the appearance of MF 67. It originally wore a dark blue livery called (King Blue) but has since ...

but their motor noise is similar to the Parisian

MP 59 The MP 59 (; ) was a rubber-tyred variant of electric multiple units used on the Paris Métro system in service from 1963 to 2024. Manufactured by a consortium between CIMT-Lorraine (body), Jeumont-Schneider (control circuits), Alsthom a ...

Composition

Each train consists of four cars (2 motor with driving cab framing a trailer and a motor without cabin). Engines and trailers are numbered as follows: * MA 01 to MA 42 for end motor trains delivered in 1976-77 * RA 01 to RA 21 for train trailers delivered in 1976-77 * MB 01 to MB 30 for end motor trains delivered in 1983 * RB 01 to RB 15 for trailers delivered in 1983 * NB 01 to NB 36 for intermediate drives (called "neutral"). Each train is designated by the number of its trailer. The trains are thus numbered from 1 to 36.

Traction

MPM 76 trains have a maximum speed of . Each power unit has two motor bogies, each equipped with two electric motors, operating at 750 V and displaying a unit power of 130 kW in continuous mode. The motors are electrically connected two by two in series, and are controlled by means of Jeumont-Heidmann resistor contactors.

Braking

The braking of the trains is ensured by: * an electric brake by recovery, and * a mechanical brake with pneumatic control. The mechanical brake uses

beech Beech (genus ''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to subtropical (accessory forest element) and temperate (as dominant element of Mesophyte, mesophytic forests) Eurasia and North America. There are 14 accepted ...

wooden shoes, which bear on the tread of the iron safety wheels. Some of these skates are made in the Vaugirard workshop of the

Interior design

Each four-car train has a capacity of 472 passengers, with 182 seated. The seats are arranged perpendicular to the walls of the cars, following a 2 + 2 diagram. The seats are made of a polyester shell, and are free of any fabric or padding, to limit damage and vandalism. In 2015, RTM installed CCTV cameras in every car. File:Metro-marseille-frein.jpg, Braking is done by means of Beech skates File:Marseille-metro-manipulateur-traction.jpg, Traction manipulator File:Tableau de bord du poste de conduite.jpg, Dashboard File:Frotteur metro marseille.jpg, A "wiper" to capture electricity File:Rame au depot la rose.jpg, A train under maintenance at La Rose

Future

The reform of MPM 76 trains and their replacement by more modern trains is under study for the horizon 2020.

References

{{reflist Marseille Metro 750 V DC multiple units Electric multiple units of France Alstom multiple units Train-related introductions in 1976