Transpole
| Transpole SA | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Basic information | |
| Company headquarters | Marcq en Baroeul |
| Web presence | www.transpole.fr |
| owner | Keolis |
| Lines | |
| Subway | 2 |
| tram | 2 |
| bus | 92 |
| number of vehicles | |
| Subway car | 143 (2-car units) |
| Tram cars | 24 |
| Omnibuses | 577 |
| statistics | |
| Catchment area | 611 km² |
| Residents in the catchment area |
1.1 million |
| Length of line network | |
| Subway lines | 45.5 km |
| Tram lines | 22 km |
| Bus routes | 1 212 km |
Transpole is a local transport company in the French department of the North , which operates local transport in the cities of Lille , Roubaix , Tourcoing and Villeneuve-d'Ascq . In addition to numerous bus routes , Transpole also includes the trams for the cities of Lille, Roubaix and Tourcoing, as well as the fully automated Métro . Transpole was founded on May 2, 1994 and is a subsidiary of Keolis .
metro
The fully automatic subway , which opened in 1983, is operated according to the VAL system , which is characterized by particularly light and narrow vehicles with a high number of trains. The underground network currently has 2 lines and a route length of 45.5 km (as of 2012).
tram
The first tram line in Lille was built in 1874. In 1897 the electrification of the lines began. In 1909, Lille and the two neighboring cities of Roubaix and Tourcoing were connected by a tram line that is still nicknamed Mongy , after its designer Alfred Mongy . While most of the city lines in Lille were shut down after 1950, the Mongy remained the backbone of public transport of the then TCC , the predecessor of the Transpole, until the 1970s .
With the construction of the VAL-Métro and its opening on May 2, 1983, the fate of the tram seemed sealed. However, it was preserved because it runs almost exclusively on its own rail track, the route runs partly underground and meter-gauge vehicles could be purchased cheaply from the Vestische tram .
Then extensive renovation work was carried out in the years 1991 to 1994, the last two sections of 600 to 750 V changed. The old cars were replaced by new low-floor trams from the Breda company towards the end of the 1990s . Since the trams are not considered very comfortable, they are also nicknamed le tram tangue , which translates as the rocking tram .
The tram carries around 6% of all passengers in the region.
bus
Transpole operates a total of 92 bus routes, of which 43 are city bus routes and 45 are regional routes. They have a total route length of 1,212 kilometers (as of 2012). They carry around 1/3 of all passengers.