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| Line C | |
|---|---|
 | |
.JPG) A rack-railway train of line C at the station Croix-Paquet | |
| Overview | |
| Native name | Ligne C |
| Termini | |
| Connecting lines |   |
| Stations | 5[1] |
| Service | |
| Type | Rapid transit/Rack railway |
| System | Lyon Metro |
| Operator(s) | TCL |
| Rolling stock | MCL 80 |
| Ridership | Annual: 10,217,000 (2019)[2] |
| History | |
| Opened |
|
| Last extension | 8 December 1984[1] |
| Closed | 3 July 1972 (funicular) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 2.4[1] km (1.5 mi) |
| Rack system | Von-Roll |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DCoverhead line |
| Maximum incline | 17%[1] |
| Average inter-station distance | 625 m (2,051 ft) |
| Public transport in Lyon |
|---|
| Networks |
| Main railway stations |
| Other railway stations |
| Airports |
Line C (Ligne C) of theLyon Metro is the modern incarnation of theFuniculaire Croix-Rousse – Croix-Paquet (Croix-Rousse – Croix-Paquet Funicular), an oldcable-hauled railway operating on part of the current alignment.
In 1891 the originalfunicular line was opened, running between its namesake stations.[citation needed] After surviving the closure of the nearbyfuniculaire Rue Terme – Croix-Rousse in 1967, this line closed in 1972 for refurbishment and conversion torack railway technology, reopening for service in 1974[1] (four years before lines A and B opened). When it was integrated with the metro as Lyon Metro Line C in 1978, the line's southern end was extended fromCroix-Paquet toHôtel-de-Ville (City Hall), also equipped with rack rail.[1] A further extension of Line C opened on 8 December 1984, when its northern end was extended from Croix-Rousse toCuire as anadhesion railway (no rack).[1]
The line now serves five stations, and is 2.4 kilometres (1.5 mi) long.[1] It was constructed using various methods: the original route used by the former funicular line runs up a steep incline rising from a deep tunnel to an exposed trench, the newly built level segment atCroix-Rousse usingcut-and-cover, and the latest section beyondHénon running on the surface.Croix Paquet station claims to be the steepest metro station in the world, with anincline of 17%.[1] The repurposed alignment of the original funicular fromCroix-Paquet toCroix-Rousse is among the world's oldeststructures currently used by metro trains, having first opened in 1891.
It is currently the only steel-wheeled line on the Lyon Metro, as well as the only steel-wheel metro line in France outside Paris, excluding sections of the Paris Metro that run beyond the Paris city limits. UntilParis Metro Line 15 opens, it will be the only metro line in France to use overhead wires instead of a third rail (although the Paris Métro lines initially built by theNord-Sud Company (now lines12 and13) did originally use overhead before being taken over by the CMP (nowRATP) and were converted to third rail power following the takeover).
