Marseille, France

[rtt_rules]

Greater City pop of about 3.7m, city of 1.7m

http://www.mapstop.co.uk/images/uploaded/lrg_multimap+marseille+nov+0.3b851b9.jpg

We arrived by car, 20km out, doing 110km/hr surrounded by sheep and market gardens the GPS was saying 15min to go to our city centre hotel. About 3km out and we leave the hwy which continues under the city in a massive tunnel to far side and then into local streets. GPS says 5min, but after a few missed turned down narrow streets that make our Citron C4 feel like a large car and even requires reverseing back on some intersections it took us nearly 45min in heavy traffic. Our 2 star Hotel is on 3 lane road, 1 lane for parking for cars that never move as if you move you will never get your spot back and god knows where the car will be left. 1 lane for temporary parking, ie stop and turn hazards off (like us) and one lane left for traffic.

We decide to off load the car tonight rather than next day as no where to park it and good help us to find the location the next day. After taking bags into hotel, it takes us 45min to travel 2km to TGV station to off load the car.

Unlike Monaco, the place is covered in spray paint and a depressing dump, ignoring the harbour area.

Metro - Built in 70's to replace the tram network that was mostly not repaired post WW2 it comprises two lines using trains with also rubber tyres. I'm not sure what carries the weight, but the rubber tyre traction gives amazing acceleration. My 4yr old was thrown off his seat leaving one station. (Some of the female drivers are also amazingly attractive and put effort into their presentation).

User freindly for prams and wheels chairs, fail. Big fail. the TGV station lift was out of service. Arriving a staff member while buying ticket offered to open gate past turnstyles for our pram and luggage (one suitcase with wheels with soft bag attached which we had on leaving, not arriving), but on return a security guard standing next to same gate refused pointing to sign and I had to lift over the gate. The turn styles have specfic no pram etc signs. What are you supposed to do?

3 stations out from airport, next station from popular harbour area, our station has no escalators, so everything had to be carried. Even where there are lifts, you still have stairs.

The harbour station was nice with fish tanks and stone walls on platform.

Tickets, we bought 24hr pass which is disposalable plastic soft card. 5Euro each no sectors.

I note tthe trains are due for replacement in 2020 after 45 years and due to the rubber tyres are quite noisey.

The Bouganville line is due for a single station extension of 800m using mostly existing track to depo for a park n ride station.

EDIT: there is also commuter rail on the usual surface tracks, but we didn't use and these trains are heavily graffetied


Tram, we didn't use but it looked modern. I found that post WW2 like many cities it was mostly destroyed or run into the ground what was left. They abandoned all but one line which was closed into 2004 to enable upgrade to LR. There are two sort of lines, but most would call them one, but we walked past a T junction that is where a new line is being built.

Trolley Bus, I believe we also say the O/H for a trolley bus, but never saw a bus while driving to main station

[petey3801]

Metro - Built in 70's to replace the tram network that was mostly not repaired post WW2 it comprises two lines using trains with also rubber tyres. I'm not sure what carries the weight, but the rubber tyre traction gives amazing acceleration. My 4yr old was thrown off his seat leaving one station. (Some of the female drivers are also amazingly attractive and put effort into their presentation).

Sounds similar to the rubber tyred Metro in Paris - My back was screwed by the time I got from my motel to the closest stop to the Eiffel Tower, about 20min trip. Standing up the whole way almost killed me!