Lyon: The French City of Trams (And Much More)
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- čas přidán 8. 12. 2023
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Lyon has a public transit network with almost every mode conceivable, from trams to funiculars to metros to funiculars. Check out our latest video to learn all about it!
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Ever wondered why your city's transit just doesn't seem quite up to snuff? RMTransit is here to answer that, and help you open your eyes to all of the different public transportation systems around the world!
Reece (the RM in RMTransit) is an urbanist and public transport critic residing in Toronto, Canada, with the goal of helping the world become more connected through metros, trams, buses, high-speed trains, and all other transport modes.
Fun fact: the Lyon trams are designed to resemble silkworms, owing to the city's history of silk production.
The Citadis trams used in Songjiang, Shanghai are also designed to resemble Silkworms, since the district also had a history of silk production!
I was going to make a joke about Dune sand worms, but this makes sense
You beat me to mentioning this!
Very interesting, I can see the resemblance. Not sure I like it 😂
Silk weaving and tailoring not production of the actual silk
I studied civil engineering and urbanism in Lyon INSA in the mid/late 90s. I remember our transport professor telling us about the plans for the tram, and telling us the only way to reduce car traffic was to take space away from cars. It made so much sense. I think Lyon was a great place to study urbanism in the late 90s, because reinstating trams in European cities was a fairly new thing back then.
It certainly was and Lyon has proven itself among the most committed to it
I have been living in Lyon for my studies and I rely on TCL every single day. Despite having flaws (ponctuality), the transit system is gorgeous and makes up for the city's attractiveness. The new metros on lign B I use everyday are gorgeous.
Bonne fête des lumières 🎉
@@nuabioof83 Merci, ce soir samedi pour moi
As long as the B line is working
Pareil
"Makes up for the city's attractiveness"? What does that mean? Is the city unattractive?
A wonderful video. And I totally agree with your opening remark that Lyon is an ‘underappreciated transit metropolis’. But, in common with all of the larger French provincial cities, it lacks a heavy rail RER system. However an RER-system around (French-speaking) Geneva opened in December 2019. Most of this system, jointly worked by SNCF and Swiss Federal Railways, is on French territory. The system has been very successful, with ridership exceeding predictions (despite Covid).
The success of the system has been noticed by French politicians INCLUDING PRESIDENT MACRON. French provincial cities, led by Strasbourg, are now planning RERs.
That is exciting to hear. Would be great if cities outside London UK could do the same thing as Geneva
@@japanesetrainandtravel6168 Writing as a resident of Britain, I entirely agree. The Birmingham cross-city line is an RER/S-Bahn type line. From the moment it opened (originally with diesel trains!) it was a huge success. Yet no other British city has been allowed to copy that success!
you are definately british .... the video is about Lyon , France and you ignore France but mentionned Geneva ... I am Canadian @@japanesetrainandtravel6168
No electric service on a new line in Britain? All electric operation
on new lines around the world should be the standard.
@@michaelrmurphy2734 The line opened in 1978 with diesel traction, but was electrified in 1993. But I agree with you that 'All electric operation
on new lines around the world should be the standard.' Unfortunately Britain has still not got that message. We in Britain are currently rebuilding the railway line from Oxford to Cambridge via Bletchley and Bedford. There are no plans for electrification....
Lyon! My city! Thank you for covering it here! I can't wait to see the new streetcar lines, especially the T9. Lyon is also developing express bike lanes, called "Les Voies Lyonnaises", which will be about 355 km long by 2030.
I think the REV is still my favorite express bike network name, thanks for watching!
But "les voies lyonnaises" is actually a big joke because they only built like 10% of the promised network and in most parts they only rebuilt existing cycling paths. And they planned to build in many locations where people don't use bikes. They should have invested this money into real public transportation. For example the bus line C3 is completely overcrowded all the time and the trolleybus are getting quite old.
@@p0tat0es_nation64 People using bike lanes are not always the same as people using public transport, so if you want to decrease the number of cars you need to develop both. Bike lanes are extremely cheap compared to roads for the same amount of users so if you think the city need more money to build public transport, it would make more sense to save money by spending less on car infrastructure. And you should not make the decision of building bike infrastructure based on current bike usage since the infrastructure is precisely what determines whether or not people use bikes (it's also true for other modes of transportation), so after the infrastructure is built more people will use bikes. Bike lanes also means some people will not have to use public transport at rush hour, meaning less congested lines. Riding a bike is also better for your health than taking public transport or driving a car, and for short distances it's faster, so many people will want to do it anyway.
Born and raised in Lyon and I just love my city! Seeing this video pop up got me teared up. Thank you so much for covering Lyon! Fun fact! The trams are nicknamed belugas by locals, because of their forehead 😂. Public transit here really makes having a car pointless. I just wish they’d automate and renovate Metro A quickly, which is sadly scheduled for 2035 (with screen doors, your favorite haha). I also think we need more capacity with more car trains on the main lines but besides that TCL is great. Also can’t wait till all the huge construction works are over (which I’m surprised you didn’t cover). Part-Dieu is being rebuilt from the ground up. And Perrache is gonna be mostly torn down and the highway going around and through it buried. Feels like we can’t walk anywhere for now because of the constructions but can’t wait to see all the results!
Les rames du métro A sont en train d'être rénovées normalement. Si je dis pas de bêtise ils ont déjà reçu les premières rames rénovées donc ça va bientôt arriver 👍
Lyon is a fantastic city and of the cities in France I've visited, my favorite. When I was there, I wasn't as aware of transit (only aware that everywhere I went in Europe had it, and it was almost always better than anything I experienced in the States). But I remember seeing the trams all over the place, and just loving how they made things feel connected. And when we did need trains, it was super easy to get them and get around on them. It was also the first city I saw where scooters were a super common way to get around. E-scooters started taking off in the States within a few months of my visit to Lyon. I saw folks from all walks of life riding all around business-y area near the train station on their personal scooters. At the time it seemed so weird.
The real star of Lyon is the food, though, which I realize is out of the purview of this channel. Folks talk about the food in Paris, which is good, don't get me wrong. But Lyon...that's the place. If it wasn't for my almost pathological inability to speak French, I'd move to Lyon tomorrow for the food alone.
I don't speak French, but being in the bilingual country of Canada I do
understand some French. Defense de fume and terez ici like that.
Paris is the capital of the French state and French culture, that's a given. But Lyon is the capital of French gastronomy. This is such a matter of fact in France that people forget that non-French may not know that. Lyon is the heart and soul of French cuisine, real French cuisine, even Parisians acknowledge that.
@@Sayitlikitiz101 Lyon is actually the WORLD capital of gastronomy
@@frenchprint Un peu d'humilité ne fait de mal à personne . Le nombrilisme rend petit ce qui est grand et génère de la rancoeur seulement . I can think of many places in the world with their own long and glorious culinary traditions. No need to be so ethnocentric. The world is a big place.
@@Sayitlikitiz101 okay cool but the title of world capital is official and has been since 1935.
Dear Quebec City, this is what you could have if you get your act together. I think Lyon’s has the most beautiful trams. PERIOD! That said, the rack assisted metro of Line C is so cool and I wonder if the higher elevated section of Quebec City could have benefited from something similar.
On a separate note, as far as metros, I love Montreal more, but in terms of a complete system, I prefer Lyon’s with its integration of all transit modes
As someone from Quebec city who's also been to Lyon. I 100% agree with this message.
What's cool about about Citadis and French cities is that trams are allowed to be changed and cities want to differentiate themselves so all trams in France look different, the most futuristic is in Tours IMO!
One fun fact about Lyon is that if you want to transit from Perrache to Part Dieu train stations (Lyon’s main train stations), you can take TGV which only costs you 1.2€ and takes 8 minutes… whereas through public transport it is more expensive and a 20+ mn ride
Lyon metro line D uses the MAGGALY automatic train control designed by Matra in the late 80s. It is in fact an upgraded version of the VAL automatic train control and relies on moving block signalling (back then it was a world premier for a metro) instead of fixed block signalling.
The French really have an incredible series of automated signalling technologies and trials
@@RMTransit Thanks for your reply! I can recommend reading the paper "VAL automated guided transit characteristics and evolutions" by Regis Lardennois (1993) on the topic. "SkyTrain High Technology Rapid Transit in Vancouver" by Tom Parkinson (1989) is also a good read 🙌
I can't advise all of you enough to visit this city, for so many reasons. You won't be disappointed.
Also, it should be noted the West of Lyon has a noticeable tram-train network, run by the SNCF. It is not indicated in the transportation maps as it is not integrated with TCL, but it is nonetheless a network of 3 lines.
yeah i was surprised he didnt talk about the tram train, i'm a bit sad
@@styfauly2115 But the Lyon tram-trains are cofined to railway lines. It is not like Mulhouse, where the tram-trains share tracks with city trams.
@@styfauly2115I’ll probably cover in a future video!
I was there, 7 years ago. All I remember is, that the airport tramway was expensive and the train connection to Geneva was convenient as usual.
I spent a few years of my life in the US and when I moved back to Lyon I was absolutely astonished by it's transit! From the trolley buses I used every day to the metro, tram and funnicalar lines... I'm excited for the future of TCL and proud to be from such a gorgeous city. (Sttill hoping for new extensions to the metro lines)
I really think the consistent expansion and improvement plays an important role in public perception of the system!
I love that you're covering more French and German cities now. Ah....they really know how to DO transit don't they. As a Brit, I can only sit here slightly jealous that they have governments that GET the need and invest in it properly. I'm happy for them but I just wish we had the vision do what we used to do back in the Victorian era and actually build cool stuff that doesn't cost an arm and leg and take decades to do.
As another Brit, I strongly agree.
If you want more jealousy inducing news :
This Saturday Paris opened 2 lines, the first one is a shuttle called line V (the letter, not the Roman numeral), replacing a part of one RER C branch that was disconnected from the line to simplify operations. It will allow better frequencies and simpler operations.
The second one is tram line T12 Express, a tram-train line in the deep South suburbs, which repurposed another part of the disconnected branch of RER C and substantially extended it with new tracks to the South, both grade separated and street running.
It is Paris 14th tram line and the 10th to open in the last ten years (two this year alone).
T12 Express is roughly 20.4 km long and has 16 stations serving 12 municipalities with, initially, a new fleet of 25 trainsets, each carrying about 500 passengers.
Tram T12 Express will possibly take over the new line V shuttle in the not so distant future as many are calling for it.
In its current form, it is expected to carry about 40k daily riders.
We'll see if that is right or grossly underestimated, like with the fairly recent T9 which saw nearly full capacity in the first trimester after opening.
Also, a first further extension of the Grand Paris Express has been announced : a 19th metro line was officially proposed by the region's and transit authority's president a week or two ago.
And I didn't mention the truckload of tram line extensions in the works, nor the several planned and proposed other metro extensions, nor the RER E West extension set to open in phase from spring 2024 on, nor the half dozen of proper busway BRT / bustram lines, nor Cable C1, the first 5-station urban transit gondola line currently under construction and set to open in 2025.
That's an expansion of over 360km of new lines and extensions in about 15 years.
It's a transit-a-palooza in Paris, even locals have a hard time following all the projects and simply grasping the scale of it all.
Though, the proverbial "cliff" that is the date when low-emission zones will be really enforced, and at a stricter level, is approaching fast.
And all this transit christmas list will still probably not be enough to carry everyone in decent travel conditions. Sigh...
There's plenty of potential and so much to develop in the UK, I still don't understand how the politicians can be so clueless, though the outrageous cost ballooning issue should be addressed first, or the merry-go-round of horrendous costs and reduced, canceled and abandoned projects will go on forever.
Several English cities could use a metro, or a pair of VAL /NeoVAL lines like in Rennes, or a 3 or 4 line network like in Lyon or Toulouse.
Sadly it seems the ones in charge prefer peddling crazy conspiracies about 15 minute cities. Everyone deserves good transit.
You’re doing a lot better than North America though!
But seriously, I wish the Anglosphere wasn’t inspired by American urban development.
@@highway2heaven91sigh, watching this video was just depressing as someone living in Seattle. I love our city and the States, but we are just so BAD at transit. Every station in this video looked so beautiful, every train looked so clean and safe, and the whole system looks so well thought out and integrated with the city. And the streets aren’t overrun by cars. It literally feels like a fever dream for me 😢😂 we should have this, considering Seattle is significantly larger and far wealthier than Lyon, and yet we don’t have anything remotely close to this. Or really any other American city for that matter. The best transit in North America is somehow consistently in Mexico because Canada and the US has made it so darn difficult and expensive to build.
@@KrishnaAdettiwar And Seattle actually has one of the better transit systems in the US. It was so “good” that Yet Another Urbanist decided to move there!
The one place in Canada or the US that happens to be making great strides in becoming an urbanist paradise is Montreal, which happens to also be the one non-English speaking city!
Meanwhile, the city I live in in that same time frame, Glasgow, has talked, proposed, cancelled, reproposed, cancelled, talked some more and got no where. The city has potential to be great with suburban lines that could be a metro, old abandoned rail alignments that would be good for metro or light rail, but the city lacks ambition and when it does get it, it lacks drive to do it.
Bristol says hi.
aye our subway has been that wee cute loop since the 1800's doesn't it.
lot's of proposed this and that yet no serious move was taken at all even after years.
I loved using the Glasgow Subway when I was there, but yeah the city is definitely lacking in transit. Maybe a perpendicular loop line could add a lot to the subway? Or perhaps crisscrossing tramlines that would make up for what the subway doesn't cover? I definitely noticed the East and West portions of the city aren't particularly well serviced beyond the ends of the metro loop. There were some commuter rail lines but they were extremely busy whenever I tried to use them. What would be your proposal as a local?
@@ricardogens9834 my thinking is convert the main through commuter lines into a metro service and bolster it with trams to fill the gaps. Add new lines over freight or old rail alignments and a new North South cross city tunnel to connect the southside services better than terminating at Glasgow Central. If you did that, that would give the city a pretty dense metro network on top of a reformed bus system. Upgrading existing lines to metro Will likely be cheaper than starting from scratch. First place to start would be ticketing. Integrate it on all services and either make it zonal or completely flat faire. Say £2.50 for any journey within 90mins of starting. No need to overcomplicate it either. Mobile ticketing is already popular with trains, so employ that system throughout with paper counterpart for those who aren't as technically literate. And enable contact less payments on the barriers. Better yet, do a Germany and get rid of the barriers all together and have inspectors on trains.
Thank you for covering Lyon! I’m American and have been living in Lyon for years, so happy you covered this great city. I enjoy taking transit and riding my bike everyday :)
What Lyon really lack is a RER network an an underground station at Part-Dieu which is really overcrowded (so munch that if the law was applied it should be closed)
what about the TER network? Regional trains are usually very good.
@@pierre-etiennecollin8858 pas assez, trop petits, dessertes trop mauvaise, gare de LPD complètement saturée
Je vois, le réseau est vieux et saturé...@@augustin4374 merci pour le retour d'expérience
I just love your channel. I have to say, though, that while as in Metro-Helsinki/Finland are only 1.5 million people, we have managed to have a Metro system (with stations under the sea like no other), tram network, fast tram network that integrates to the tram network of Helsinki-proper and an electric bus network with 1000-2000+ busses with countles lines. Plus a local train network.
Metro-Helsinki is not that big with only 1.5 million so I have to wonder why your videos present difficulties on having the infrastructure and equipment in Canada? We in Finland made deals with fixed prices and maintain everything within our own private companies. Of course we in Finland have good relations with Germany.
And when comparing Lyon's transit system to Montreal's, you have to remember that Lyon is more than 3 times smaller population wise.
Another interesting point to notice is the good interconnection between the metro system and the regional train stations (gare de Vaise, Vénissieux, Oullins, Jean Macé)
The next big step for the city transit improvements will be a good regional/suburban railway system (like the RER in Paris). Most of the infrastructure is already there, but the service offered by SNCF operator is catastrophic...
Also, there is a "tram-train" covering western parts of the city, with terminus Saint Paul train's station in the old city centre, but also connected to metro D in Gorge de Loup
And to finish, also projects are ongoing for an interconnected set of large bike lanes, covering alld of the city centre and further suburbs
All in all pretty good, but still big efforts needed on regional trains attractiveness and reliability
Coming from Marseille, the third largest city in France which has a horrible public transport policy, it always makes me sad to see how Lyon is improving its public transport so well while my city doesn't do anything as ambitious
Same here, same here :(
Just move north. Marseille has the Corsican mafia, drug trafficking, and is a major destination for illegal migrants. I have no intention of ever going to Marseille.
Omg I saw Lyon, my home city, associated with rmtransit and I instantly clicked on the notification. Ty Reece for covering my favorite city
Thank you for your video about our city and its trams, the most efficient and reliable transportation mode in Lyon ! Greetings from France 🇫🇷
I spent my junior year of college in Lyon from 1992-1993 long before the trams, but it was undoubtedly the best year of my life for sure.
The problem with a potential northen expansion of the line B is Charpennes. There, the line B terminus is at the same height as the line A (I believe the current terminus was originally built for maintenance). Expanding the line B would require building new tunnels starting from the previous station, to go under line A. I'm not sure it would be worth it considering that north of Charpennes will already be well deserved by trams T1, T4, T9 & T6.
Considering the amount of people waiting for the tram at Charpennes to go to university it might be useful... Although I hope T6 and 9 will take care of some of that
I don't think it will happen soon unfortunately. The green are usually against metro projects (more in favor of trams) and it could be very expensive due to this tunnel issue described above. It's not really a project especially considering the tram will be getting even more frequent with T6 and T9 coming from Charpennes to La Doua soon.
I'm really happy for the T9 in Vaulx-en-Velin. It was much needed and will end decades of underdeveloped service in Vaulx-en-Velin, sometimes not for the best reasons (politics, cost, it's a poor community...)
I love Lyon. It's my second city and is a great hub to get to other destinations around the area, such as Vienne, a lovely little town to the south of the city.
It's a very walkable city so most of the time I do just that; it is some parts modern, some parts old and rustic, and very romantic.
Its also the gastronomic capital of the world - there's all sorts you can find, from a classic Lyon bouchon, to modern fusion food and the quality is usually very good in most places; Lyon is a city that has just about everything when it comes to cuisine.
if I know I'll be travelling a lot I'll usually buy a day pass and move about on the very pleasant metro service.
Lyon is a city that has many of the modern amenities with much less of the stress of modern day life - I've often considered this city a more chill version of Paris (some Parisians can be rude!).
In addition to the many lovely French bars, that exhibit a lively but pleasant social scene, in the more touristy areas there are some nice English pubs / bars, including an Irish pub - the James Joyce, where you can pick up a nice Guinness; I would not suggest buying a Guinness in regular Lyonnaise bars though - they don't tend to store and prepare them properly and can taste quite bad!
I was also pleasantly surprised to see a thriving retro video games culture and a few related shops in the area.
Long story short, Lyon is a beautiful blend of old and new and a city I highly recommend to just about anyone.
The only bug-bear I have with the city is the Rhone-Express - as mentioned in the video, this is the airport to city centre service and there's nothing really wrong with it, except that its a glorified tram service that they charge high prices for - seriously, 28 euros for a return ticket on a tram service is really not cheap and across Europe there are usually far cheaper airport to city services that even have to travel longer but use faster train services so only take just as much time (Berlin for example). You can save money by using a combination of bus and tram services instead but you have to know the routes and your timing has to be good or you could be waiting a while.
One thing to mention is the headway between trains on the automated lines (B and D for the moment). This can be as little as a minute at peak times, which makes up for the trains being relatively short.
New stock, like that on line B, would be most welcome due to the lack of proper air-conditioning on the older stock. Lyon can get very hot (up to 40°C) in the summer and the metros cab be suffocating.
PS Thanks for covering Lyon! As a Brit who has lived here for 20+ years, I have to say I love the place and, as others have said, there is little point in having a car.
So happy to finally see my home city in a dedicated video ! I live in the west of the city where the new tram line is currently in discussion, which is, to the eyes of many inhabitants, a total disaster, compared to Metro line E. I also found a lot of incoherence in the tram project as well as a lack of a long term vision. So I decided to write a 40 page document proving that the tram can't be a good option... which the transpory organization authority had read ! I got to meet them but just got disappointed as I was expecting, they abandoned any future for the metro system. I just hope to bring metro line E back, as the tram will not be faster than the actual buses and more congestionned
Je suis bien d'accord avec vous. Le TEOL est loin de répondre à la forte demande de l'ouest. Je n'arrive pas a comprendre leurs mépris vis-à-vis du métro E. En tout cas, merci d'avoir essayé quelques choses.
The reason, as often, is mostly financial.
But also practical as to comply with the overly strict French tunnel laws, a new metro line would require emergency access / exit shafts every 800 meters or less.
That's perfectly feasible, it's just a little more complicated and costly.
I am also convinced that metro E is an incomparably better solution than the tram.
Especially because a tram will likely be rapidly overcrowded, which would limit the modal share shift from the personal car to public transit.
One other point is that many locals in the West do not support a metro, nor a tram, as they fear car access to the city and the West will be further limited.
In other words: car obsessed NIMBY's....
@@KyrilPG Actually, many residents are against the tram and hardly support the metro. Yes it's more expansive, but feasible, by raising loans, ask for a government fund...
It's only a political question
Lyonnais here
@4:06 there has been an agressive confrontation between the Rhone Express and the SYTRAL the past years. the complaint was that the shuttle is operated by a privately held company tht legally gained a lease to exploit the route from Part-Dieu to the Airport.
The Metropole denounced the agreement although it was legal and won.
I'm not French, but I lived in Lyon for a little over one year. I have also visited 35 countries and been to a lot of different cities and I want to say that Lyon has the best transport network that I have ever used. All routes are designed as conveniently as possible. The system handles very well. Failures are very rare. Lyon trams have the cutest masks, especially the old ones. Lyon metro trains are also very stylish, both old and new. By the way, the design of the new Lyon metro trains was developed by the Lyon industrial design studio. Wider metro cars are indeed much more comfortable than narrow ones in Paris and other cities. It's even surprising to me that when they built completely new metro lines in Paris, they didn't use the same standard of train width as in Lyon.
By the way, when talking about expanding the transport network, you did not mention the extension of the T6 tram line to the north. This construction is currently underway most actively. After completing the T6 line, they form a ring with the T1 line. They will have the same terminal stations, only one line runs through the east of the city, and the other through the west. w
The metro lines of the GPE will be wider at 2,80 m compared to 2,40 for the historic lines
I recently visited Lyon and was very impressed that we could use the same ticket for taking both the metro and funicular. Cost 2 euro per person only!
I'm happy to see an explaination of my city's transit system, can you next time make a video about the Lyon's TER please, it could be interesting to see an explaination of it because it is the second biggest regional railway after Paris that will become an RER , also talking about trams, the french city of Strasbourg has also I think a great transit system of trams, and it is also the second french city to have a RER service that it would be cool to have also an explaination on it !
Although thank you for this video, it was a pleasure to watch it :D !
Few years ago I went to Lyon, but was really on tight budget. I accidently took TGV that goes not to city center, but to Lyon airport, so I had to find a way to get to Lyon itself. Rhone Express was too expensive for me at the time, so I found a local bus that goes to Meyzieu industrial district and then took T5. Really good memories, nice to remember this amazing city and it's transit
Oh hey look, Hess LighTram vehicles! They’re so good. And the trams are absolutely gorgeous too, like you said.
For the benefit of people not familiar with Lyon's transport system, 'Hess Light Tram vehicles' are the modern trolleybuses with batteries allowing them to run away from the wires.
I love the Lyon trolley busses - their design looks so much like a train with the way they cover up the wheel wells with those plates. Very bizarre - but it has a great effect.
I live in Lyon, the trams are really good and the network is well organized
Thanks for covering Lyon!! Was great to see how the network has grown since I was there in 2011!
About time!
Really thoroughly loved Lyon. Ties my home of New York as favorite place to live.
It sounds VERY great! I hope that more citys around the world will have transit like this.
Great video! I was just in Lyon this week and really enjoyed taking transit there.
I LOVED this video, I basically knew nothing about Lyon trams before! I think that you should do a video on my home city, Quito's brand-new metro system. It would be interesting to see all the new facts and data, and to spread it across the world! I wish the best!
The public transport section of your city's Wikipedia page doesn't mention it!
Great video and for me an eye opener. Love the looks of the tracks and metro trains of Lyon. Very cool.
I live in Lyon , i love this video!! I take the line b and t2 daily , seeing you making an full videos about us is amazing!
Fun fact: every road sign in France points to either Paris OR Lyon. Usually it's "this way to Paris" and "that way to Lyon".
(Yes, that's an exaggeration. There are road signs pointing to "toutes directions" and "autres directions" as well. "Autres directions" is anywhere that's neither Paris nor Lyon btw)
What a great video!! Thanks for making such a complete video about our Beautiful network !
Happy to see a video on the Lyon local transportation system that I like a lot.
You can also make a video about the Utrecht trams. It is a fairly small and new system but has some interesting features which other cities can learn from.
Lyon Part Dieu used to have a summer Eurostar service, that went on to Avignon and Marseille. It was amazing!
Rode 4 Lyon Tram lines and 3 Metro lines in June 2023. Loved the frequent service and cool looking trams.
I was definitely waiting for this episode! Thank you so ;uch for that episode on my home city!
I have nothing to correct about it, you really havethe latest infos on our network and that's awesome!
Your videos are awesome, keep going like this!
I have a minor correction regarding 1:40 : The Lyon trams are actually more like 95% low floor with steps beside the aisle in places and when compared to these steps in the aisle (which some other Citadis variants have) would be preferable.
Considering you're on trams, can you cover Melbourne's tram network (Yarra Trams)? Considering it is the worlds largest network I think an explainer would be awesome.
COME ON Just yesterday I wondered if you have a video on Lyon, and here we are ❤
So happy to see a video on my city ! 🎉
Nice!!! My wife are currently planning to make a move from New Orleans to Lyon in the near future...such a beautiful city.
My cousins live here, it was amazing to see you observing this city again
I lived here for a couple years in my early teens and the freedom I felt as a kid to travel round the city was just amazing
Great video as usual Reece! One thing I don't see mentioned in the video or comments are improvements on the bus network on infrastructure to allow faster journey times, Marco Chitti talked about it on X.
Europe’s first HS route was the Direttissima Roma-Firenze (1977)
Not on modern high-speed standards.
If you count earlier iterations of straighter lines there are many more, some dating back to the 1930's or even 1920's maybe.
Most started appearing in the 50's and 60's, like the line near Toulouse were a first 331km/h speed record was reached in 1955.
The modern HSL is a combo of specific electrification, rail canting in turns, strict track spacing, axle weight limitation, rail shape, grade separation, catenary pulling tension, etc.
I learned quite a bit about the future plans. As a kid in the 90s I took both funiculaires alternatively AND the C line to go to school then highschool; as well as almost the full D line; which was premiering at the time (I usually stood at the front to look at the tunnel). In croix-rousse the arrival is extremely slow because the train is switching from rack tracks to standard tracks. It's incredible how the network expanded since then; and I can barely keep up as sometimes I discover there's a new extension and the terminus changed.
Finally a video about our trams!
Thanks for covering Lyon! The city has a very good balance between all modes (bike, bus, trolley, tram, metro and trains), but I wish that the metro network had a more "regional" use (like the upcoming GPX in Paris or Ligne C in Toulouse). All the metro lines are quite short and could see a lot more services. That's being said, the MPL16 is one of the world best looking rolling stock in my opinion.
The tramway to the West of Lyon confuses me, since they could still build a metro there, but instead of extending the tram just extend Metro A
they had a project for a metro from Hotel de Ville or Bellcour follozing the same route in the western part, but the nez mayor cancelled it and wanted bike lanes instead of it, whichi is pretty du;b as the west of Lyon is very hilly. Also a tram cheaper, or i think so at least
@@reekelm9526 yeah the tramway is probably cheaper, but with the amount of tunnels that they’re going to build it feels like they might as well extend the metro, though I’m not from Lyon so there’s probably a reason why line A can’t go further.
@@its-ericthat's not that easy... Perrache metro station (end of line A) is at ground level, with an highway interchange just behind. To extend this line would require to entirely rebuild the line at least on 2 stations. That would be both tricky and expensive, as well as being a source of major inconvenience for passengers.
Then, the west of the city is way less densely populated than the center. The demand does not justify the metro there. The "express tram" (or half-burried metro) currently proposed is a compromise between the efficiency of a metro, and the affordability of a tram. Building a new metro line would have prevent other extension of the network (T9 and T10 in particular). To put it in other words: the current executive made the decision to build 3 tram lines, instead of one metro line.
@@rouphile ah thanks for the detailed information!
You can maybe make an episode on Nantes, France... It can be interressant especillay 'La place Commerce'
I’ve passed through the city of Lyon atleast 18 times by now, every time I try to get a glimpse of what the city might be like. I remember seeing the trams for the first time. I’ve still never really stayed there for any amount of time though
Lyon is amazing, solid video
0:41 The first high-speed route in Europe was actually the Rome-Florence line in 1977, while Paris-Lyon was inaugurated in 1981 :))
Lyon is such a beautiful city with a rich history. I am passionate about this city and how it developed throughout the centuries. Greatest city in France (after Paris).
Even before Paris. And especially the food - Lyon is the absolute capital of French gastronomy.
I would love to see you to a Strasbourg video, the trams have an incredible design, the tram model and the lines
I am genuinely amazed by the maps in all of your videos. They make it’s so much easier to get situated in what you are talking about. I am curious if you’d make them yourself from scratch or use some sort of software?😊
One thing to makes it ever better would be to include photos of the places and add written names while pronounced (but it takes time for sure)
I missed French pronounciation of the places/names. ;-)
So many transit vehicles and so few automobiles!
The initial plan for the Lyon metro was to have lines A and B interlining and forming one central loop with several branches, similar to what can be seen in Chicago. Unfortunately last minute cuts were made to save money and line B ended up with that weird one-track terminus.
Merci !
It's the best! I was there last summer, so much fun for a transport enthusiast 😂🎉
I found it quite weird that the metro drives on the left side and that the trolleybuses don't need wire connection and are called buses...
At one point there were plans to run the metro into suburbs on existing train tracks. The train tracks are in the left due to the influence of British train networks.
Trolleybuises have batteries as well to run without poles, but nost of the time it relies on them
Please keep doing the histories of the lines, they're important!
While their primary purpose is functional, the Calatrava designed station and trams are quite beautiful. It is appropriate that a beautiful city has a transit system to match.
The Channel RMT transit show the transport network of my city Lyon.
Thank you.
I love the videos that you make and I found this really interesting. But could you PLEASE do a transit explained video for Boston, it has a very interesting network, the green line being especially unique and I think you would find it interesting as the green line is kind of a model tram, with a bit of everything: street running, median running, full light rail, and city center tunnels. I think that you could make some really intersting videos covering Boston and its network.
From an European perspective it would be interesting to learn more about more advanced transit systems in northern America.
I find lyon's trams so fun because they're a modern tram, but with a network layed out like a historic tram system.
The express tram would have been awsome if it stayed as the Metro line E
how to the trolley bus wires interact with the tram wires when they cross?
lyon transport is really good, and a very good cycling city if you avoid the hills. Though the traffic is still crazy as it's a hub to a lot of rural towns.
*Lyon is the third largest city in France. If we look at proper city the second biggest city in France is Marseille, but if we look at metropolitan area then Lyon is the second largest agglomeration in the country. Anyway good video :)
depends actually, the city of Lyon itself is smaller than Marseille, but if ze count their suburbs Lyon is the biggest of the 2. And in ter; of economy, Lyon is in front of Marseille, so to me it is really the second french city
@@reekelm9526 that's what I said. Including or not including suburbs depence a lot on country which you come from. In my country (Poland) the most often we don't talk about suburbs/neighbouring cities and we talk only on city proper. In that situation every single book published in polish about demography/geography will tell you that Warsaw is the largest city (1 700 000 inhabitants) but if we look at suburbs the urban area with largest population is Katowice/Silesia mertropolitan area (2 700 000 inhabitants, there are many cities in the region with a similar population) while Warsaw metropolitan area has only (2 300 000 inhabitans)
Yeah, you are right, but economically and in every people s mind, Lyon is the second more important city in France. I love Marseille, It has so much potential, but despite its size, it is for now even less important than cities like Bordeaux, Lille or Toulouse unfortunalty.
Interesting city, definitely worth visiting once the Frejus train line reopens!
Don't forget Turin, its Italian counterpart!
Unfortunately the new trams in Turin aren't fully operative yet (only a few are authorised for service), but there are many interesting projects, some of which are already financed (as a part of the second metro line, line 12 and the west extension of line 15)
Will the second metro line be a VAL once again? A NeoVAL /CityVAL? Or something else entirely?
@@KyrilPG I think it'll be NeoVAL, but I couldn't find any confirmation online. For sure it'll be completely automated and with trains a little bigger than the ones on the first line.
The big issue with Lyon is that the train connection to Geneva/Switzerland is really poor and the connection to Turin/Itlay is even worse. Things are getting better, but it will take a while until Lyon is going to become a transport hub that's important on an european level.
2:05 i think you shouldn't discontinue talking about the development, it's such an important and interesting part!
I got a topic idea ...
Today I also watched a video about Tijuana's Bus Rapid Transit System. Tijuana is a city in Mexico with a population of 2 million.
What caught my attention was the informal transit services based on small Toyota Hi-ace buses. That surprised me, because I know those small scale traditional transit services only from the Caribbean Islands with very small populations (often less than 100K in a town).
Could these small Islands make their current system better or should they replace it and do something modern? And how could they do it, if so?
ngl I was about to suggest a video about Lyon
I lived there for 2 years and after trying other European cities transport networks, I would say, it's one of the best in the continent!
Yaaay my home town ! Thanks for this nice video !
Now that I think of it, Lyon may have helped me develop an interest in public transit. Lyon's metros are probably the best in France, with large automated trains that cover most of the important destinations in the city. I spent my whole teenage years moving around the city thanks to this robust system. It's not perfect, of course, it currently lacks funding to expand beyond the actual and future demand for transit as we reduce car dependency.
We have larger metros thanks to it's designer. He said something along the lines of "widening tunnels later is basically impossible, building a wider tunnel from the start isn't that expensive and the excess capacity will be greatly appreciated, now and in the future" and he was so right. I wish more designers had his insight.
I'd say one of its biggest problem is the lack of transit for students. Sure they put some tramway lines but they're sooooo packed it's impossible to just use a tramway line for a campus. Charpennes' weird layout makes it difficult to extend the line to the north, but it should be going to the university instead of stopping right there ! Anyone that went to University in Lyon by transit knows what I'm talking about : we need a metro for students, NOT trams ! Also, the automation of line B was pretty chaotic and the system is still not running at normal service levels. The metro hasn't worked well since they started the automation programs. I still support full automation but they really should investigate what happened.
I'm also disappointed by the cancellation of the metro E project. It was supposed to be a new east-west line through Bellecour and Part-Dieu, which has been a HUGE demand from transit users for DECADES. Bellecour and Part-Dieu are the two most important commercial hubs of Lyon, concentrating most of the city life. The lack of direct connection between has been a complaint all these years and when we finally thought it was going to happen, they canceled it, saying "it's going to take too long". DUH. If you don't build it you can't have it. Procrastinating never made stuff happen faster, so if it takes long, it's another reason to do it NOW !
I'm glad there's projects to automate everything and adding screen doors, and I hope line B will be extended to La Doua - Gaston Berger and create a metro-tram hub inside the campus.
Anyways, great video on Lyon ! Thank you for showing the cool stuff from my home town :)
Thanks for this video. A couple of days ago I was just deciding what French city to visit for a quick day trip from Paris. (I decided on Orléans and spent yesterday there) I really want to visit Lyon soon but feel like I need to make it a couple days instead of a rushed visit. I knew there was pretty good transit but did not realize that there was so much as I’m an avid transit rider and didn’t want to be limited on the scope of the city that I could see. I’m now inspired to make this visit happen in the next couple of weeks. Again great video and thanks to all the commenters here for broadening my knowledge as well. J’ai hâte de visiter Lyon!
I lived near Orléans most of my life and in Lyon for a few years, and I confirm that there is much more to do in Lyon, and a single day would be a little short. Of course, it is on an entirely different scale, but even when comparing it with other, similarly sized cities, Orléans has the reputation of being a bit boring. I hope you enjoyed your trip well enough nonetheless!
@@filiaautlol yes, passing 8-10 hours in Orléans was enough. However it rained much of the day so I didn’t get to check out the parcs and riverfront which were on my list of things to do as a photography enthusiasts. I’m definitely going to take a Lyon trip when I have 2-3 days to stay.
It's a pity you couldn't see the riverfront, I may be biased, but I think the Loire is far prettier than the other big rivers in France, especially in towns (the Seine in Paris or even the Rhône in Lyon are much more boring), and there are also nice spots near the Loiret, but of course, the weather right now is not the most conducing to outdoors activities. At least with all the rain this year, the water level is not as alarmingly low as last year.@@ninoblack2112
I got to visit Lyon recently. I took a Ouigo TGV from Marseille to St-Exupery airport for 10 Euros, then I had to pay 15 Euros for a one way ticket on the Rhonexpress into the city. Then I paid 17 Euros for a tourist transit pass that I used liberally to see the whole city over three days. Explain me that pricing! That being said the city is absolutely charming, the metro and trams run flawlessly and the funiculars and cog-wheel metro is fascinating.
il est préférable de s'arrêter à la pardieu ou a perache car les prix du rhone express sont excessif.
Can you make a video about Palermo (Italy) tram and its expansion project? (is a very ambitious plan on how to turn a totally inefficient system, to one of the most dense in Italy). Morover there is regional trains being built, a proposal for 2 VAL lines (1 have already the project) and even the proposal for a cable lane system to the main mountain of the city. Finiding information could be difficult, as a part of them are in Italian only, but if you need any insight for an headstart, I'm here to help
I'll be in Lyon for two days next January. For the food, the sights and why not the trams 😁
The C3 is truly a tram/metro running along the west east axe provide so much mobility throughout the city.
Source: I live here since 6 years ago :)
Lyon dweller since 2008 here, who spent 5 years on that damn INSA campus 😅 What feels good about Lyon's transit is the forward energy. In the same time-frame, in my native Prague, barely anything was moving forward. I read here from people from cities which had done nothing with having dated, incomplete networks to begin with and I feel kinda lucky to have moved here 😊
Could you do a video on Prague sometime in the future?
I have to say that the trolley and city busses look very similar to the New Flyer LFA model, but with more doors.
Here in Halifax in the 1950-1960s there were trolley buses very similar
to what you see here. I rode them all the time when I was a kid.
I really like your video. (Especially that it's my home city (I was born in there))
As always, great video. I don't want to be pedantic but Strasbourg is the french city of tram. I'm a little bit surprise you dont make a video yet on the history of transit system of Strasbourg considering his influence on the evolution of transit system in Europe since the XXIth cenury.
Can you pls make a video about Amsterdam tram network
Hey Reece! Amazing video! I lived there for a couple years and the transit in that city is amazing. I was wondering if you heard of Quito’s newest metro line. It’s the first one in the country and the newest in South America. It’s a really historic feat. It would be really cool if you covered it in a video! If you’re interested, I could provide some footage and record some by your own request. Let me know :)
Isn't it also the highest altitude Subway in the world?
@@IndustrialParrot2816 i think it is, i didnt think of that
For the fact the airport express is just a short extension to T3 the tickets are super expensive. A single trip to the center currently costs €15.20 and a return trip €26.70.
I've been waiting for a video about Lyon since forever !!! Thank you so luch for acknowledging our great transportation network, people always focus on Paris' only when it comes to France 🥲🥲🥲
video about Amsterdam's tram network please!