Lyon Metro Line C

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

Line C
Year opened	1862 and 1978
Last extension	1984
Rolling stock	MCL 80
Stations served	5
Length (km)	2.5
Length (miles)	N/a
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)
Rack system	Von-Roll
Maximum incline	17%
Average interstation	625 m
Journeys made	N/a (per annum)
Lyon Métro Network Métro lines   Line A   Line C   Line B   Line D

Lyon Metro Line C (Fr. Ligne C du métro de Lyon) is the modern incarnation of an old cable-hauled railway operating on part of the current alignment. In 1891, the Funiculaire Croix-Rousse - Croix-Paquet (Croix-Rousse - Croix-Paquet Funicular) was opened, running between its namesake stations. After surviving the closure of the nearby funiculaire Rue Terme - Croix-Rousse in 1967, the funicular closed in 1972 for refurbishment, reopening in 1974 as Lyon Metro Line C. Its southern end was extended from Croix-Paquet to Hôtel-de-Ville (City Hall) in 1978; its northern end was extended to Cuire on December 8, 1984.

The line was constructed using various methods: a steep incline rising from a deep tunnel to an exposed trench, the level segment at Croix-Rousse using cut-and-cover, and the section beyond Hénon running on the surface. Croix Paquet station claims to be the steepest metro station in the world, with an incline of 17%. The repurposed alignment of the original funicular from Croix-Paquet to Croix-Rousse is among the world's oldest structures currently used by metro trains, having first opened in 1891.

List of the stations

Diagram of Line C

• Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel
• Croix-Paquet
• Croix-Rousse
• Hénon
• Cuire

Chronology

• December 9, 1974: Croix-Paquet—Croix-Rousse
• May 2, 1978: Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel—Croix-Rousse
• December 10, 1984: Hôtel de Ville - Louis Pradel—Cuire

External links

• Transports en Commun Lyonnais (TCL)