As part of the public transport system the city of Marseille has a subway system that uses underground technology on rubber tires.Its system is similar to the one developed by the RATP (Autonomous leasing company of Paris Transports) for the Paris and Montreal Metro.
It opened in 1977 and is a municipal public service administered and controlled by the Régie des Transports de Marseille (RTM) along with the tram and city buses.
In 2011 it carried over 74 million passengers.
Marsella Metro Lines
The Marseille Metro network consists of two partially underground lines with a total length of 21.8 km, (18 of which are underground) and that run fully in the town of Marseille
- Line M1: Blue Line runs from La Rose to The Fourragere and was the first to become operational in 1977. It has 12.9 km and 18 stations.
- Line M2: Red Line runs from Bougainville to Sainte Marguerite Dromel. Became operational in 1984. It has 8.9 km and has 12 stations.
Future expansions:
Is scheduled extension of the Line M2 from the south terminal eastward to St. Loup-Pagnol with five new stations.
Major stations:
The two stations where you can make transfer from one line to the other are Castellane and St. Charles (Central Railway Station)
Opening Hours
The network now opens at 05:00 a.m and runs until 23:05 p.m from Monday to Thursday (last train leaves the terminus station at 22:40 p.m), and until 00.30 a.m Friday to Sunday.
Frequency of service
The frequency varies according to time and the seasons of the year.
In winter rush hour trains run every 3.30 minutes and off-peak every 5 minutes. In summer always run every 5 minutes during the day. At night the metro runs every 10 minutes.
Fares and Tickets
The tariff system of Marseille is called Reseau Liberte. All tickets are valid for the metro, tram and bus for an hour.
- Ticket Solo.
Single ticket for the entire RTM network, you can make use of it for one hour. It costs 1.50 € - Ticket 2 Voyages. 2 Single ticket that allows a person to make two trips across the network RTM. It costs 3.00 €. This ticket can be recharged up to two times.
- Ticket 10 Voyages. You can make 10 trips across the RTM network and costs 12.80 €
- 24H or 72H Pass. Pass valid for 24 hours or 72 hours from the first validation for unlimited travel on the network RTM. It costs 5 € for 24 hours and 10.50 € for 72 hours. It is on sale in the metro and tram distributors and dealers
- CITY PASS.
Allows visiting Marseille tourist attractions with great discounts and gives free access to public transport during its validity period. Available for 24 hours for 22 € and 48 hours for 29 €.
On sale exclusively at the Tourist Offices.
Airport
Marseille Provence Airport, also known by the name of Marseille-Marignane Airport is located on the eastern shore of the Etang de Berre. It is 27 kilometers from Marseille.
The airport has no railway connections, but buses go to the Marseille Central Train station and the TGV station (high speed) of Aix.
Both bus and taxis stops are outside the terminal, between Hall 1 and Hall 4. A shuttle service connects the airport to the St Charles Marseille train station in Marseille city center in about 25 minutes and leave every twenty minutes.The ticket price is 8.50 €. People going to another town from there can take trains to Avignon and Montpellier.
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