Tag Archives: RATP

Rail Photo of the Month: July 2024

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MP59 Stock M3199

Location: Châtelet, Paris, France
Operator of Vehicle: RATP
Date of Photo: March 19, 2008

After a 61 year career, the Paris Metro retired the last of its MP59 rolling stock just a few weeks ago on June 12.  These railcars were introduced to Paris in 1963 when lines 1 and 4 were converted to rubber tired pneumatic operation.  In 1995, some were moved to Line 11, where they remained until the recent retirement of the entire class.  As new rubber tired stock was brought online, first with the MP89 and then the MP05, the oldest or most worn out cars were withdrawn and the remainder were refurbished and shifted around to accommodate the new arrivals.  With the introduction of the MP14 in conjunction with the extension of Line 11 from Mairie des Lilas to Rosny–Bois-Perrier on June 13, 2024, the final run of the MP59 took place the prior day.  The MP14 trains for Line 11 will operate manually, as opposed to the fully automated MP14 rolling stock on Lines 4 and 14.  If you missed out on the opportunity to ride the MP59 stock, the MP68 rolling stock in Mexico City and the NS74 rolling stock in Santiago, Chile are both based off the MP59 design.  

For more photos of Paris Metro’s MP59 Rolling Stock, please click here.  

Rail Photo of the Month: March 2023

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MP89CC Stock 89 S 093

Location: Pont de Neuilly, Paris, France
Operator of Vehicle: Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP)
Date of Photo: March 18, 2008

It’s hard to believe, but this month marks 15 years since I visited Paris for the first time.  I’d also argue that trip has been my only trip to Paris, as I transited the city twice to change trains (Bercy to Gare du Nord and Gare d’Austerlitz to Gare du Nord).  My sense from the occasional reading I’ve done online is that the Paris Metro is quite a bit different since my 2008 visit.  Line 1 is now a fully automated operation and the MP89CC stock seen here has been transferred to Line 4.  Now Line 4 is in the process of being fully automated, so these cars will be transferred to Line 6 as Line 4 becomes fully automated.  

Like New York or London, Paris is one of those cities that one will never have enough time to truly explore, and certainly can’t be seen in just a week (or a day), so I certainly hope to have the opportunity to go back some day.  

For more photos of MP89CC stock trains, please click here.  

Rail Photo of the Month: March 2018

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MP89CC Stock 89 S 103

MP89CC Stock 89 S 103

Location: Bastille Station, Paris, France
Operator of Vehicle: Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP)
Date of Photo: March 20, 2008

I visited Paris for the first time ten years ago this month, so I thought it would be appropriate to share a photo from that trip for the March 2018 Photo of the Month.  The Paris Metro is an impressive subway system for a host of reasons.  For one thing, you are never more than a few hundred meters from the nearest metro station no matter where in the city you may find yourself.  However, what Parisian rolling stock might be known best for is that on several lines, the trains have rubber tires instead of traditional steel wheels.  The MP89CC stock shown here is one of those trains.  RATP converted three lines (1, 4, and 11) to use rubber tires in the 1950s and 1960s.  There were plans to convert the entire system to use rubber tires, but the costs were prohibitive and it would have taken decades to complete the project, so the RATP opted instead to convert one additional line, Line 6, because it has long elevated stretches and the rubber tired trains are quieter than their steel wheel counterparts.  In addition, new lines such as Line 14 are built for rubber tired trains.  You can see how the wheels of the train in this photo are not like what one usually sees on trains, and that the track for this line has running boards and guide rails as opposed to steel rails.  Have you ever been on a rubber tired train, either in Paris or elsewhere?

For more photos of the MP89CC Stock, please click here. 

Oren’s Reading List: Paris’s New (Unofficial) Metro Map

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In the article I posted yesterday, Paris’s iconic metro map is ranked as being the second most complex in the world.  I’ll admit, it certainly seems a bit overwhelming to me each time I look at it. Recently, a design studio made an attempt to improve the map by using lines 2 and 6 to make a perfect circle around central Paris, modifying angles to be at 30 and 60 degrees instead of at 45 degrees, and then filling in the rest of the lines based on these principles.  The map even includes certain attractions such as the Eiffel Tower, indicating where one should get off to reach these destinations, and can easily accommodate the future Line 15, which will be another circular Metro line around the city.  Do you prefer this design over the traditional Paris Metro map?  Read about the new (albeit unofficial) map here and decide which you prefer for yourself!

Oren’s Reading List is an occasional feature on The Travelogue in which I share articles that I’ve read that might also be of interest to the readers of this website.