Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence, Alstom and designer Ora Ïto have completed the exterior design and the interior layout of the new trains for the Marseille metro.
They should start carrying passengers in 2023.
In late 2019 Métropole Aix-Marseille-Provence launched a public consultation where residents were able to provide feedback on the metro design. Alstom put forward three different proposals, and of the 17,000 consultation participants 44 percent voted for the one named ‘Listen to the City’.
Alstom used this vote as the basis for implementing the design concepts to all elements of the metro together with the designers and the services of the Métropole. The metros will be lined with blue trim on the outside, while the interior will feature warm, natural tones. The entrance areas will be spacious for maximum accessibility. The metro trains’ windows will be large and passengers will benefit from modern air-conditioning and passenger information systems.
“Mobility is a central issue for the Métropole and a challenge for the development of our region. Today, the Marseille metro enters a new era: these new, modern metro trains will improve passengers' journeys with services that are up to the standard of France's second largest city. I am pleased to see that the key projects of the Métropole are taking shape. Others will follow in Marseille, such as the extension of the tram to the north and east of the city. Daily transport, and its accessibility to all, is a priority of my work at the head of the Métropole, so that the inhabitants of the whole area can travel with ease between where they live and the pools of employment and activities.”
There are currently 36 rubber-tyred four-car trains, type MPM 76 (Métro Pneumatique Marseille 1976). They underwent refurbishment between 2005 and 2007. From 2023, these vehicles will be replaced by the new driverless, automatic trains.
The modernisation of the metro vehicles is part of a wider programme to make the city’s stations more accessible. By 2023 seven stations will be accessible. Work to make the remaining 16 stations accessible will begin in 2024.
