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Lille is synonymous for a new generation of metro systems, a kind of small profile light railway operated automatically, the so-called VAL system (short for Véhicule automatique léger). After trials were carried out by MATRA during the early 1970's, the CUDL decided in 1974 to build 4 VAL lines in the metropolitan area. Construction started in 1978 and the first line was inaugurated on 25 April 1983 between 4 Cantons and République. One year later, on 2 May 1984 the entire Line 1 opened (13.5 km long, 8.5 km underground). It links C.H.R. B Calmette (now CHU – Eurasanté) in Lille to 4 Cantons in Villeneuve d'Ascq via Gare Lille Flandres (Central Station). All stations have platform edge doors to separate the platform from the train.

Line 2 opened on 3 April 1989, initially called Ligne 1bis, between St. Philibert and Gares, later renamed Gare Lille Flandres (15.5 km, 7 km underground). In 1994, there was a 1-station extension to the new TGV station Gare Lille Europe, and in 1995 the line reached Fort de Mons. On 18 Aug. 1999, Line 2 was extended to Tourcoing-Centre (12.5 km - 16 stations) and it reached C.H. Dron near the Belgian border on 27 Oct. 2000 (3.6 km). The entire Line 2 is now 32 km long with 43 stations.

Trains are only 2 m wide and 26 m long (two coupled cars) and run on rubber tyres. Possible minimum headway is 60 seconds. Platforms on Line 1 are only 26 m long (although most stations are prepared to be extended to 52 m), but on Line 2 they were built 52 m long, long enough for two units. Stations are fully accessible for the disabled.

The Lille-Roubaix-Tourcoing tram, also called Mongy (name of its creator), mainly runs along 3 large avenues, which opened the same year (1909), it runs separate from other road traffic. The current trains are made of 4 cars, they were designed by Pininfarina and built by Breda. The tram runs underground at Gare Lille-Flandres, Gare Lille-Europe, St Maur and Clemenceau-Hippodrome stations.

- network length: 18.6 km, 36 stops
- 1000 mm gauge
- 2 lines

25 April 1983 - 4 Cantons - République
02 May 1984 - République - CHU - Eurasanté

03 April 1989 - St. Philibert - Gare Lille Flandres
05 May 1994 - Gare Lille Flandres - Gare Lille Europe
17 Mar 1995 - Gare Lille Europe - Fort de Mons
18 Aug 1999 - Fort de Mons - Tourcoing-Centre
27 Oct 2000 - Tourcoing-Centre - C.H. Dron

Several stations were renamed in 2017:

Ligne 1, CHR B – Calmette > CHU – Eurasanté; CHR – Oscar Lambret > CHU – Centre Oscar Lambret; Hellemmes > Mairie d’Hellemmes; Lezennes > Square Flandres.
Ligne 2, Les Prés > Les Prés – Edgard Pisani; Croix – Mairie > Mairie de Croix; Gare Jean Lebas > Gare Jean Lebas – Roubaix; Tourcoing – Sébastopol > Gare de Tourcoing.

 Projects

Possible extensions - Line 1 from C.H.R. B Calmette to Wattignies, Line 2 from St. Philibert to Perenchies and from C.H. Dron to Mouscron in Belgium, with possible branches from Roubaix to Hem and Wattrelos.

Platforms on Line 1 are being lengthened to 52 m by 2023.

NEW: Tram Atlas Frankreich | France (2nd edition, 2022)

This revised edition of our bilingual (German/English) and illustrated atlas includes all tramway and trolleybus cities in France, plus all the Métro and VAL systems. Each city features a detailled system map, some with an enlarged city centre area, showing all stops, loops, single-track section, depots etc. Short texts provide information about special features, while details about history and operation are presented in tables. All current vehicles are depicted in one of the numerous colour photographs.

Angers, Aubagne, Avignon, Besançon, Bordeaux, Brest, Caen, Clermont-Ferrand, Dijon, Grenoble, Le Havre, Le Mans, Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Mulhouse, Nancy, Nantes, Nice, Orléans, Paris, Reims, Rouen, Saint-Étienne, Strasbourg, Toulouse, Tours, Valenciennes

160 pages, 17x24 cm, approx. 300 colour images, network maps, text Deutsch/English
Feb. 2022 - ISBN 978 3 936573 66 4, EUR 19.50

More info here!

Christoph Groneck: METROS IN FRANKREICH / METROS IN FRANCE. Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Lille, Toulouse, Rennes, Rouen & Laon. - Aug. 2006, Robert Schwandl Verlag, ISBN 3 936573 13 1 (More info)

Bernard Felix: Le VAL 273 pages (1993) Maxima ; ISBN : 2840010488

1983-1988: six ans de Métro dans la Communauté urbaine de Lille: la ligne nr. 1 . - 83 pages (6 mai 1993) Centre d'études des transports urbains ; ISBN : 2110855207

Christoph Groneck: Neue Straßenbahnen in Frankreich. - 2003, 167p., Ek-Verlag, ISBN 388255844X