Métro sur pneumatiques

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Métro sur pneumatiques, or Métro sur pneus for short, is a system developed in France in which a subway vehicle or train with gas-filled rubber tires travels on wooden, concrete or steel lanes.

In the Paris Metro station Corvisart the line 6 retracts train Series MP 73

prehistory

The idea of ​​letting rail vehicles roll on rubber tires is said to have occurred to André Michelin during an uncomfortable night drive in a sleeping car . The co-founder of the Michelin company , which has been producing air-filled rubber tires for road vehicles since 1891, had test vehicles for rail transport manufactured at his own expense in the late 1920s . Initially, it was a car that followed a guardrail in the middle of the track. Attempts in which rubber tires replaced the wheel tires and wheel flanges ensured the guidance along the inside of the rails were more successful . This combination was called “pneurail”. The narrow rubber tires ran on the rail head . Since the load-bearing capacity of the tires was tight at the time, a significantly higher number of axles per vehicle was necessary. In addition, the higher rolling resistance required a more powerful engine.

The first plan for an underground train on rubber wheels for the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris (CMP) provided for two five-axle bogies per car . In view of the numerous and sometimes tight corners of the Paris Métro , the use of such a vehicle did not seem realistic. In the railway sector, however, Michelin was able to establish the system with the combustion railcars called Micheline . The prototype  5 laid in 1931 the route from Paris to Deauville with an average speed of 107 km / h back 20% faster than it was then the fastest train. Later, further developments of these railcars also ran to Clermont-Ferrand and in the Paris suburb network. Rubber -tired passenger coaches pulled by steam locomotives ran between 1949 and 1956 on the routes from Paris to Strasbourg and Basel .

A total of 62 vehicles of the types 20 to 23 were built. The last Michelines disappeared from the tracks in the early 1950s. The term "Micheline" survived, however, as a colloquial collective term for conventional diesel multiple units.

In the United States , the Budd company built three vehicles based on the Micheline principle, but they did not prove themselves there. Narrow gauge michelines were used in some French colonies. In Germany, on the other hand, the rail-road bus came onto the market in the 1950s .

  • Tires of a Micheline railcar

  • Prototype 5, 1931

  • Micheline Type 11 with 24 seats

  • Micheline Type 22 in the Mulhouse Railway Museum

  • Three-part articulated train type 36 for the Paris suburban railways, 1939

Rubber-tire vehicles at the Paris Métro

History, lines and vehicles

Test vehicle MP 51 of the RATP
MP 55 of the Brissonneau et Lotz type
MP 59 on wooden mobile beams in Bastille station , 1963
MP-73 train departing from Bir-Hakeim to Passy , steel running beams with corrugation
Modernized MP 59 and MP 89 CC in the Odéon station , 2011

In the period after the Second World War , the Parisian public transport company RATP was looking for ways to increase the capacity, especially on the often overcrowded Metro lines  1 and  4 . In 1950, Michelin developed a radial tire that could carry a load of four tons and was less than a meter in diameter. This made it possible to build subway vehicles with just eight rubber tires on two two-axle bogies. Compared to the first draft, the necessary cornering ability was given, at the same time the weight could be reduced and thus the engine output could be lower. The increased rolling friction - three times higher than with the conventional system - was expected to result in improved acceleration and braking behavior. In this way, the train spacing could be reduced and the number of trains increased without compromising safety. In addition, there would be a lower level of noise and increased driving comfort.

In July 1951, the Brissonneau et Lotz company's rail vehicle factory in Creil delivered a test railcar to the RATP. The loner MP 51 was a 15.4 m long four-axle bi-directional vehicle with an output of 2 × 95 kW. The 770-meter-long Voie navette operating track between the Porte des Lilas and Pré-Saint-Gervais stations was converted for test operation. Chassis beams made of the wood of the tropical deciduous tree Lophira alata (Azobé) were attached to both sides of the track , along with side rails, which also served to supply electricity.

The testing included, among other things, tests with a locked wheel or a tire without air. It turned out that the railcar was quieter than conventional vehicles, but that the performance in terms of acceleration and braking was limited by the comfort for the passengers. Overall, the MP 51, which also served as a test vehicle for the (semi-) automatic train control Pilotage automatique , was convincing and was therefore used in passenger service from April 1952.

The winding line 11 was chosen for a thorough testing of the system  . At 6.3 km in length, it was the shortest on the Metro network, and with ramps of up to 40 ‰, it was also the most demanding. The reconstruction of the route began in 1954, the small workshop Atelier d'entretien des Lilas was adapted to the expected rolling stock in 1956. Of the MP 55 series vehicles ordered from Renault and Brissonneau et Lotz in 1954 , the first four-car train was delivered in October 1956. The first tests took place during the nightly breaks, the following month it was used for the first time with passengers. For eleven months there was mixed traffic between the MP-55 trains and conventional Sprague-Thomson vehicles , until the last of the seventeen new trains ordered had arrived in October 1957. With them, the capacity during rush hour could be increased by 5.5% compared to the predecessors, and the operation - regardless of the costs of the route adjustment - proved to be more cost-effective. The trains of the MP 55 series remained on line 11, they were rebuilt and modernized several times. The last train ran in January 1999.

The experiences with the MP 55 prompted the RATP to aim to convert the entire Métronet to rubber-tired trains. The corresponding report was published in June 1959. At that time, line 1 was up to 35% congested, and its planned extension to La Défense indicated a further increase in passengers. The targeted capacity expansion of 15–20% did not appear to be feasible through the use of rubber-tired vehicles alone. Therefore, as an accompanying measure, it was decided to extend thirteen stations from 75 m to 90 m in order to be able to use trains from six instead of five cars.

The new MP 59 series was more powerfully motorized than its predecessor and visibly differed from the one by the undivided windshield. In order to be able to use 41 six-car trains, 272 railcars and sidecars were ordered in August 1960 . The first trains came into service on May 30, 1963. Since not all stations had been rebuilt to the required length, initially only five-part sets were formed. Mixed operation with the Sprague-Thomson trains running on rails lasted until December 1964.

The stations of Line 4, the second most heavily loaded, were extended to 90 m between 1964 and 1965 and the route was converted to meet the requirements of rubber-tyred traffic. After six-car trains of the Sprague-Thomson type could be used there for the first time in October 1965, MP-59 trains gradually took over the line from then until July 1967. They came from a repeat order for 284 vehicles. To strengthen lines 1 and 4, another 51 MP-59 cars were ordered in 1971.

Line 6 was the first time a line running largely above ground was converted to rubber operation. 50% of it runs as an elevated railway on viaducts , the tracks had to be renewed in the 1970s anyway. Since the route partially runs close to the residential development, noise reduction was also a decisive aspect. In order to ensure sufficient contact even in unfavorable weather conditions, the mobile beams on the above-ground routes were provided with corrugation. The MP 73 series was developed for the line , which is technically based on the MP 59, but optically resembles the conventional MF 67 series . In July 1974 the first MP-73 train came on the line, a month later the Sprague-Thomson on line 6 were completely replaced. From the beginning, several vehicles of the 252 railcars and sidecars came to support lines 4 and 11.

Although the rubber-tyred trains met the expectations placed on them, the RATP abandoned the plan to convert all lines of the metro as early as the 1960s. The renovation work on lines 1 and 4 had proven to be lengthy and costly, and completion would probably have taken until the turn of the millennium. The old age of the Sprague-Thomson trains therefore made new vehicles of the classic wheel-rail system necessary. This was taken into account with the MF 67 series. In 2013, with 205 trains (usually five carriages each), it represented the Métro's largest series in terms of numbers. There were no further conversions from conventionally operated lines to rubber tire operation.

With line 14 , the first section of a line was opened in 1998 that was planned from the outset for operation with rubber-tired vehicles. Driverless trains of the MP 89  CA series are used on the route, also known as Météor (abbreviation for Métro Est-Ouest Rapide) .

technology

All routes kept or received the conventional tracks. They form a redundant system and keep the train, e.g. B. after a tire burst, in the track. In addition, in the transition phase they enabled mixed traffic with conventional trains and ensured the free use of railway service vehicles , which generally run on rails with steel wheels.

In contrast to the Pneurail from the Michelines, a narrow tire does not replace the wheel tire, rather the tire is attached to the outside of a metal railway wheel. It does not roll on the top of the rail, but on the 30 cm wide chassis beam, a special track that was originally made of azobé wood. Wooden chassis beams are currently only found on company tracks, in parking areas and on turning loops ; along the routes they have been replaced by steel double T-beams and on braking sections by concrete lanes.

Each vehicle has two two-axle bogies. In addition to the four tires (diameter 1 m) on metal wheels, each bogie has four horizontal track guidance tires with a diameter of 0.54 m. Along side track guide rails, which also serve as power rails for the energy supply, they keep the vehicle on its route. In the area of ​​the switches, the mobile beams are lowered so that the flanges of the metal wheels grip the track and temporarily guide the vehicle.

The brakes act on the metal wheels. For fire protection reasons, the tires are filled with nitrogen . The current is returned via sliding contacts over the rails.

The construction of the track for rubber-tired trains is much more expensive than that of a conventional track. However, there is less wear and tear, which reduces maintenance costs.

  • Rubber tires filled with nitrogen and side guide rails

  • Bogie of an MP 55: the metal wheels inside the pneumatic tires, the horizontal track guide tires in front

  • Bogie of a class MP 89 railcar

Métros in Lyon and Marseille

Based on the experience of the RATP, the subways in the cities of Lyon and Marseille were built for rubber-tired trains from the start. Parisian MP-73 vehicles served as prototypes for both cities. In 1977 the first section of the Métro Marseille went into operation, in 1978 lines A and B of the Métro Lyon .

In Lyon, 54 m long three-car trains of the MPL 75 series run on lines A and B, which consist of two multiple units and a non-powered sidecar coupled between them. The fully automatic line D, which opened in 1984, runs two-car MPL 85 trains.

Marseille has similar vehicles from the MPM 76 series. In 1985, the three-car trains were each supplemented by a cab-free sidecar, the 2.60 m wide trains have been almost 65 m long since then.

  • Métro Lyon MPL-85 train in its original livery

  • MPL-75 train in current livery

  • MPM-76 train of the Métro Marseille

Rubber-tired subways outside of France

In September 1969, the first line of the Mexico City metro was opened. Like most of the lines built later, it was set up for traffic with rubber-tyred trains. Rubber-tired subways can now also be found in Chile , Canada , Japan and South Korea .

In Lausanne , Switzerland , the system known there as “Pneumetro” was chosen because, due to the high static friction , it can overcome inclines of up to 12% instead of a former cogwheel train . The two-part vehicles manufactured by Alstom largely correspond to the Parisian MP 89 CA series.

In contrast to the usual system, the trains on the Sapporo subway , which opened in 1971, are guided along a central guardrail. This type of tracking is unique in the world.

Véhicule automatique léger (Val)

The fully automatic systems of the Véhicule automatique léger (Val) type from Matra were designed from the outset for traffic with rubber-tired vehicles. In contrast to the subway systems, the two-axle Val vehicles do not have metal wheels with flanges, the track guidance in the switch area is carried out using guide channels in the center of the track. The first Val line went into operation in 1983 at Métro Lille , and since then numerous lines have been added in several countries.

Automated Guideway Transit (AGT) in Japan

Systems in Japan similar to the French VAL are among others

  • Portliner in Kobe

  • Rokkō Island Line: Series 1000 train near the Sumiyoshi terminus

  • Series 200 train of the Nankō Port Town Line

  • New Shuttle, series 1050

  • Kanazawa Seaside Line train

Guardrails

Guardrails run on rubber tires and are guided by a central guardrail. Well-known examples are the people movers of the Bukit Panjang LRT in Singapore and the Miami-Dade Metromover of the Kuch system . The only guardrail in Germany is the SkyLine at Frankfurt am Main Airport .

The 7.4 km long Tokadai Line in Nagoya , opened on March 25, 1991, was a guardrail with end loops , the four-car trains of which were operated by drivers. On September 30, 2006, the railway, also known as the "Peachliner", was closed.

Poma 2000

Poma 2000 in Laon

The Poma 2000 in the northern French city of Laon was a special case. It was an almost 1.5 km long rubber-tyred funicular that was in operation from 1989 to 2016.

Remarks

  1. ↑ Especially for this purpose, the Voie navette, which was shut down in passenger traffic in 1939, was reactivated for passengers from April 1952 to May 1956.
  2. ↑ Lines 3bis and  7bis were not independent lines at that time.
  3. ↑ Ten stations on Line 1 had already been built with a length of 105 m.
  4. ↑ Including 92 railcars without driver's cab; including reserve
  5. ↑ Second line number, the original line 14 was added to line 13 in 1976
  6. ↑ CA means "conduite automatique" (driverless operation), in contrast to the MP 89 CC ("conduite conducteur"; driver-controlled).
  7. ↑ Line C of the Métro Lyon is a rack railway with a conventional superstructure.
  8. ↑ MPL means "matériel sur pneus Lyon", corresponding to MPM for Marseille.

See also

literature

  • Christoph Groneck: Metros in France . 1st edition. Robert Schwandl, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-936573-13-1 .
  • Brian Hardy: Paris Metro Handbook . 3. Edition. Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald 1999, ISBN 1-85414-212-7 . (English)
  • Jean Tricoire: Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor . 2nd Edition. La Vie du Rail, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-902808-87-9 . (French)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Petite Histoire du métro sur pneus at amutc.fr, accessed on 11 August 2017
  2. ↑ a b Jean Tricoire: Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor . La Vie du Rail, Paris 2004, ISBN 2-902808-87-9 , p. 96
  3. ↑ Les rames Michelin sur la Région Est, pp. 18-23 in: Loco-Revue 2/1952, accessed on July 23, 2019
  4. ^ A b c Brian Hardy: Paris Metro Handbook . 3. Edition. Capital Transport Publishing, Harrow Weald 1999, ISBN 1-85414-212-7 , pp. 70 .
  5. ↑ Jean Tricoire: op. Cit. , P. 97.
  6. ↑ Jean Tricoire: op. Cit. , P. 98.
  7. ^ Brian Hardy: op. Cit. , P. 73.
  8. ^ Brian Hardy: op. Cit. , P. 78.
  9. ↑ Jean Tricoire: op. Cit. , P. 101.
  10. ↑ Jean Tricoire: op. Cit. , P. 103.
  11. ↑ Railway history special No. 2: Railways in Paris , p. 72.
  12. ^ Jean Robert: Notre Métro . 2nd Edition. J. Robert, Neuilly-sur-Seine 1983, p. 218 .
  13. ^ Julian Pepinster: Le métro de Paris . Éditions La Vie du Rail, Paris 2010, ISBN 978-2-918758-12-9 , p. 84 .
  14. ^ Brian Hardy: op. Cit. , P. 79.
  15. ^ Christoph Groneck: Metros in France . 1st edition. Robert Schwandl, Berlin 2006, ISBN 3-936573-13-1 , p. 82 .
  16. ↑ Christoph Groneck: op. Cit. , P. 93.
  17. ↑ Christoph Groneck: op. Cit. , P. 94 f.
  18. ↑ Christoph Groneck: op. Cit. , P. 84.
  19. ↑ Christoph Groneck: op. Cit. , P. 107.
  20. ↑ a b Japan: New "NTS" route in operation in: Stadtverkehr 10/1992, p. 12.
  21. ↑ New Types of Guided Transport at jrtr.net, accessed December 5, 2017
  22. ↑ Invented in Germany, realized abroad in: Straßenbahn Magazin 9/2006, p. 48 ff.