As the current local metro blows out its 45th birthday, the city of Marseille has taken the wise decision to begin renovation work. The aim is to replace the current system with an automatic, driverless metro, using trains that are very different from those we know today. During the Journées du Patrimoine 2024, visitors were able to discover what Neomma, Marseille’s new metro, will look like. Here’s a look back.
Neomma, Marseille’s new metro system
The exterior design and interior layout of the new Marseille metro trains, imagined by Marseille designer Ora-ïto, were selected by local residents.
Whiter, sleeker and more modern, the new trains will soon blend into the Marseilles landscape. Each four-car, 65-metre train will carry up to 500 passengers. The total cost of the operation is estimated at 580 million euros.
“The NEOMMA operation will enable the renewal of the trainsets and full automatic piloting of the two Marseille metro lines. This modernization covers all the network’s equipment, infrastructure, control and signaling systems. Supported by the Aix-Marseille-Provence Metropolitan Authority and carried out by Alstom, this complex migration process will be phased in over several years,” explains the Metropolitan Authority.
When will we be able to travel on this new metro?
According to the plans, the end of 2024 should already see the commissioning of three trainsets. At the end of September 2025, exactly one year from now, the entire M2 line will be renewed with the new trainsets. By the end of June 2026, the M2 line will be in service and driverless. Three months later, it will be the turn of the M1 line to receive its new trainsets, before going into service, also driverless, at the end of July 2027.