The Rennes Metro is a light metro system serving the city of Rennes in Brittany, France. Opened in 2002, it is based on the Siemens Transportation SystemsVAL technology. There is one line, the A Line, with fifteen stations, and an average ridership of 140,000 passengers each day. A second line, the B Line, with an orientation north-east to south-west, is scheduled for 2020.
History
1986 : City Council decides to create a transport line on a north-western/south-eastern axis.
1989 : The municipality decides to use VAL technology.
1992 : The A Line project receives planning and environmental approvals.
Opened on 15 March 2002, the A Line is based on the Siemens Transportation Systems VAL technology. There is one line, the A Line, which runs roughly northwest to southeast from J.F. Kennedy to La Poterie via Gare de Rennes, with fifteen stations. Services run between 05:20 and 00:40 each day, and with a waiting time of approximately 80 seconds between trains. From end to end, it takes around 16 minutes, with an average train speed of 32 km/h. All stations are equipped with platform screen doors and lifts. The system has 30 trains, each weighing 28 tonnes and 26 metres long, with a capacity of 170 passengers. In January 2005, three park-and-ride lots were set up, offering 900 places to motorists. Two more opened in 2006–2007, able to accommodate an additional 700 vehicles. On 1 March 2006, a card called KorriGo was created as a supplement to the ticket system to improve the metro traffic and the city's bus network. The line is maintained by Service des Transports en Commun de l'Agglomération Rennaise, and managed by Keolis. It has a staff of approximately 100. It is operated from a control centre situated in Chantepie. 120 cameras monitor the stations. The station at La Poterie and viaducts on the line were designed by Norman Foster. With a population of just 205,000 inhabitants for city proper, Rennes was the smallest city in the world to boast a metro until 2008. However in 2013, 425,000 people are served by the network in 43 municipalities. On average, there are 135,000 metro trips each day; this figure is expected to rise to 180,000 in coming years, leading to possible gridlock during the rush hours.
Stations
The station names have been chosen for the nearest existing streets or for points of interest near the station locations.
Station signage is in French and Gallo at Charles de Gaulle station and French and Breton at Gares station.
Gallery
Plans
A second line, the B Line, with an orientation northeast to southwest, is scheduled for 2020. Nineteen 2-car CityVal trainsets have been ordered for this line.
