Rhône-Alpes is a major European transit hub, linking northern France and Europe to the Mediterranean area. Millions travel along its motorways in summertime from Paris to holidays at the sea. The E15 Euroroute (Britain to Spain) runs through the region. There are international airports at Lyon, Grenoble and Saint-Étienne and many other minor airports and airfields.

The region is also a transport hub for the rail-network with the TGV running through Lyon from Paris and the north, to the Mediterranean. A trans-national, high-speed rail-link is projected from Lyon to Turin.

Rail

Numerous cities of the region Rhône-Alpes are served by TGV :

• The LGV Méditerranée: Marseille, Lyon Part-Dieu, Valence TGV, and Montélimar.
• To Paris : Lyon Part-Dieu, Valence TGV, Montélimar, Chambéry, Grenoble, Bourg Saint-Maurice, Saint-Étienne
• In construction, a line to the North-East: Besançon, Strasbourg and Lyon Part-Dieu)
• In construction, a line to Turin: Lyon Part-Dieu, Challes-les-eaux, Grenoble-Université Gières

The TGV line Paris-Grenoble serves the international airport Lyon Saint-Exupéry.

Every weekend in winter, Bourg-Saint-Maurice becomes one of the busiest stations in the region, when it is served by TGV trains from Paris and from Brussels, and by Eurostar from London.

When a project of RER called Réseau Express de l'Aire urbaine Lyonnaise (REAL) is built, it will be the first RER of the province, the only other one being in Paris. Another RER called CEVA is planned for 2017, for the region of The leman lake (Geneva, Annemasse, Thonon-les-bains, Evian-les-bains) with extensions to La roche / foron, Annecy. Another railroad project is in realisation in Grenoble to link the suburbs.

There are also tourist train lines in Rhône-Alpes (in Ardèche, in the south of Grenoble and Mont-Blanc)

Road

Rhône-Alpes is a major European transit hub, linking northern France and Europe to the Mediterranean area. Millions travel along its motorways in summertime from Paris to holidays at the sea. The E15 Euroroute (Britain to Spain) runs through the region.

Public transport

Metro, trams and buses in Lyon

12 transport authorities of public transport are implanted in Rhône-Alpes

• The Rhône-Alpes region
• The department of Ain
• The department of Isère
• The department of Loire
• The department of Rhône
• The department of Sytral
• Saint-Etienne Métropole
• The Port of Isère
• The community of Pays Viennois
• The community of Villefranche-sur-Saône
• The community of Bourg-en-Bresse
• The community of Grand Roanne

The three largest cities of Rhône-Alpes are equipped with streetcars and have a large bus network. The largest, Lyon, has four metro lines. Lyon and Saint-Étienne have kept their lines of trolley buses and, Saint-Etienne is one of the few cities in France to have retained its trams (in use since 1881).

Many cities also have their bus networks (Valencia the CTAV Chambéry the STAC, Villefranche-sur-Saône, Roanne, etc.). There are also networks of inter-departmental cars.

In winter, additional lines open to connect the valleys to ski resorts. This is the case between Grenoble and Chamrousse.

Finally, the airport Lyon Saint-Exupéry is accessible by regular shuttle bus from the major surrounding cities, including Lyon, Saint-Etienne, Grenoble and Chambéry. There are also links between Grenoble and Saint-Geoirs Grenoble and between Bouthéon Saint-Etienne and Saint-Etienne.

The Rhône-Alpes region is undergoing profound changes with regard to its rail network and many projects are being developed to the [Express Network of the urban area of Lyons, The Project of the East Rail Lyon, the Tram-train from the west Lyonnais.

Public transport links in Lyonnais

Métro

The Lyon Metro, in Lyon, opened in 1978 and now consists of four lines. It is part of the Transports en Commun Lyonnais (TCL) system of public transport.

Like the SNCF, but unlike all other French metro systems (excluding the RER), Lyon metro trains run on the left, the result of an unrealised project to run the metro into the suburbs on existing railway lines. The loading gauge for lines A, B, and D is 2.90 m (9 ft 6.2 in),^[1] more generous than the average for metros in Europe. The loading gauge for line C is 2.78 m (9 ft 1.4 in).^[1] The Lyon Metro owes its inspiration to the Montreal Metro which was built a few years prior, and has the same rubber-wheel cars and station design. The total track length is 30 km (18.6 mi), 80% of which is underground.

The métro system consists of four lines, A-B-C-D, each identified on maps by different colours:

Line	Colour	Opened	Terminus
A	Red	1978	Perrache - Vaulx en Velin La Soie
B	Blue	1978	Charpennes - Stade de Gerland
C	Orange	1981	Hôtel de Ville - Cuire
D	Green	1991	Gare de Vaise - Gare de Vénissieux

 

A map of the Lyon métro (with tram and trolleybus network in the background).

Line C

A rack-railway train of line C at the station Croix-Paquet.

The Croix-Rousse-Croix-Paquet rack railway, which was refurbished in 1974, was integrated into the Metro in 1978 as line C, running from (Hôtel-de-Ville to Croix-Rousse). It was extended to Cuire on December 8, 1984.

The line was constructed using various methods; the incline rising through a deep tunnel, the portion on the flat at Croix-Rousse using cut-and-cover, while the section beyond Hénon runs on the surface. The Croix Paquet station claims to be the steepest metro station in Europe, with an incline of 17%.

Grenoble trams

Grenoble's tram network is 32 km long, and comprises five lines: lines A, B, C, D and E. Line A was opened in 1987, line B in 1990, line C entered into service in 2006, line D opened in 2007, and line E in 2014. A previous network of tramways existed in Grenoble between 1894 and 1952. Grenoble became the second French city to reintroduce the tramway, after Nantes.

The tramway network in Grenoble

Rolling stock

An Alstom Citadis tram at Cité International (line B terminus)

The Tramway de Grenoble is served by a total of 88 pieces of rolling stock. Of those, 58 are TFS trams and the other 35 put in service on the occasion of the opening of the B line extension and the C line are Alstom Citadis trams.

Network

The network comprises 65 stations, 12 of which are shared by two lines. Line A has 29 stations, line B has 20 stations, line C has 19 stations, line D has 6 stations and line E has 17 stations. Projects for extensions are : line A extension (North: from Fontaine to Sassenage - South: from Échirolles to Pont-de-Claix); line D extensions (North: from Universités to Meylan - South: from Étienne Grappe to Grand'Place)

Society of transport in Greater Saint Etienne

Map of bus lines

The Society of transport in Greater Saint Etienne (STAS) is the name of the company that manages and operates the various lines of trams, trolleybuses and buses of the Greater Saint Etienne. Organized and funded by Saint-Étienne Métropole, the society is responsible for transportation to the 43 municipalities. The network is structured around two lines of trams, trolley lines and 54 bus lines that run through the agglomeration.

Airports

Rhône-Alpes has several airports, including many regular and seasonal flights to the ski districts.

The largest airport in the region is Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport. It is located in the heart of the region, so that the main regional cities are within 100 km of the airport. The two other main airports are those of Grenoble and Chambéry. The airports of Grenoble and Chambéry are managed by the same company.

• Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport: has the largest number of destinations (international) and the highest number of passengers.
• Grenoble-Isère Airport and Chambéry Airport: mainly used by low cost airlines. There is more traffic in winter because of the influx of tourists to the ski resorts, particularly from Great Britain, noted that the airport of Grenoble-Isère has become like Lyon, an international airport.
• Saint-Étienne - Bouthéon Airport
• Annecy - Haute-Savoie - Mont Blanc Airport

Rhône-Alpes transport projects

• TER Rhône Alpes
• Réseau Express de l'Aire urbaine Lyonnaise
• Tramway de Grenoble
• Tramway de Saint-Étienne
• Rhônexpress
• Haut Bugey line

References