Lyon Metro Line D Was the World's First Large-Profile Driverless Line
Did you know the world's first large-profile driverless metro opened in France with full-size rubber-tyred trains and no platform screen doors?
Harper Quinn, Live desk · Oct. 2, 2026 · 3-4 min
LYON - Did you know the world's first large-profile driverless metro opened in France with full-size rubber-tyred trains and no platform screen doors?
That line is Lyon Metro Line D. Railway Gazette International and UrbanRail describe it as the first large-profile fully automated metro, distinct from the smaller VAL systems started in Lille in 1983. It opened on 9 September 1991 between Gorge de Loup and Grange Blanche using Matra's Maggaly train control (Métro Automatique à Grand Gabarit de l'Agglomération Lyonnaise). Railway Gazette later noted that automation problems meant the line opened in stages across 1991 and 1992, with one section run manually for a time before driverless Maggaly operation settled in.
Unlike many later automatic metros, Line D has open platforms. There are no platform screen doors. Instead, an intrusion detection system along the platform edge (SQV) is designed to stop trains and cut traction power if a person or large object enters the trackway, an approach Railway Gazette linked to Vancouver SkyTrain's earlier choice. The trains are Alstom MPL 85 two-car rubber-tyred sets. Extensions reached Gare de Vénissieux on 11 December 1992 and Gare de Vaise on 28 April 1997. Sytral Mobilités' network figures cited by Railway Gazette put daily ridership on the order of 275,000 to 300,000 on this busiest Lyon metro line.
The curiosity is scale. Lille's VAL proved empty-cab transit with a small-profile people-mover. Lyon Line D put the same GoA4 idea on a classic large French metro pneumatique, then left the platforms open. Long before robotaxis sold empty front seats on city streets, Lyon's Line D was already running that way underground, at full metro size.
Sources
- https://www.railwaygazette.com/urban/2025/08/05/alstom-wins-contract-to-renew-pioneering-automated-metro-line/
- https://www.railwaygazette.com/urban/2023/07/28/sytral-sets-out-lyon-metro-investment-plan/
- https://www.railwaygazette.com/in-depth/2000/03/01/driverless-metros-poised-to-expand/
- https://www.urbanrail.net/eu/fr/lyon/lyon-metro-d.htm
Harper Quinn, Live desk. Harper Quinn is a senior correspondent on the live desk covering breaking driverless launches and permits. Previously reported mobility for wire services; based in San Francisco.
