Boy do I have a fascinating suggestion for you here! You see, I have decided to go back a suggest one more route from that 'Rush Hour' poll that I did many years ago, despite the fact that thread is now over 2 years old and my focus has long moved on from it to either my pdf timetable projects, or if do make a suggestion, it's for a route that I feel would be genuinely great to see in TSW and is concept that is either rarely explored or we haven't see yet. But there is good reason for what I'm doing here. You see, there was one route on that thread that I always wanted to write a suggestion on, even if it wasn't one of the popular ones that featured. Partially because it is such a small route, but also because it was also the most unique out of the routes that featured, and I'm really curious to see if this concept would even work, let alone succeed in TSW, and it just so happens to bring us to a country that only has one route currently in TSW, France. But this is not a high-speed LGV route like Marseille–Avignon, but rather a bustling underground line set in the country's capital, Paris. Welcome to my route suggestion for Paris Métro Ligne 6 (or Line 6), running from Charles de Gaulle-Étoile in the city's west, all the way to Nation in the east. Now this is going to feel like an unnecessary throwback, but oh well, I feel like it needs to done for the sake of context... What he said in that post (click here to access full thread) Link to that thread in the title to this section. I would say go vote in the poll, but to be honest, we've already flogged that dead horse long enough by now, so let's move on... ...or at least before so, let me tell how I came to this suggestion. Background Even though this was a route featured in that rush hour thread that I did many years ago, the origin of this suggestion actually goes back to when DTG revealed the top 23 most suggested routes (at the time) back in November 2020, and I was mainly trying to think up of a route that would satisfy the 'Any French Route' suggestion that was a part of that list (Which was positioned 20th on that list, tied up Tyne & Wear Metro, Anything Chicago & Cambrian Coast Line, if you do want to see that full list, click on the link here for what is quite a throwback to many years ago). Now when brainstorming for potential French 'Rush hour' style routes, the subject of the Paris Métro came me as I thought “we've had a London Underground route in the form of the Bakerloo Line, we've had many suggestions for further LU routes and even more suggestions for other metro networks like the New York Subway... what about a route from the Paris Métro?”, which is were we end up today with the suggestion for Line 6 . Now fast forward several years later, even though I long moved on from that thread, the subject of bringing the Paris Métro into TSW is still something that I want to explore. Even if this route is very short (which I will get too), it would certainly be very different from any other TSW route we've had to date with many unique perks that it offers. Plus, this would also be a great excuse to have another French route, which we haven't had since LGV Med back in December 2020, which all in all gives me a great excuse to dust the cover off this route, and give it a full in-depth suggestion thread of it's own. Now I would be easy at this point to just put up an official Paris Metro map of Line 6, but as always with my suggestions, I decided to go to the length of making a map of my own. Besides, it's that big of a route, as you will see. Map of the Whole Route Section between Charles de Gaulle–Étoile & Bir-Hakeim Section around Place d'Italie Section between Dugommier & Nation What to see this map in full? All you have to do is simply click the link here. So the entire length of what you see here, end-to-end is a truly extravagant & mind-blowing... 9.1 Miles (14.6 km). But on the upper side, it is quite dense with 28 stations and even one main depot at Italie shops, with is part of a small spur of track totalling 0.2 miles (0.3 km), making this route, in terms of total track length, 9.3 miles (14.9 km) long. I think it's fair to say at this point, that this is not a very long route. In fact, if it were to be made, it would be the second shortest route ever made, just infront of Rivet's Isle of Wight. However, don't go thinking that this is a dull route, because as you will find out, it is quite far from it. Firstly, it might be short, but like I said, it's very dense. With 28 stations in-between, and the fact that services basically stop everywhere along the route (aside from maybe the odd empty stock move), it means that you won't be finishing this route in a hurry, as it usually takes about half-an-hour to complete one full line run end-to-end. Speaking of the ends points, they are actually quite unique, as they located on a loop of track, so instead of trains simply going straight in and coming back out in the opposite direction, they just loop back round and continue going in an endless circle. It's also worth mentioning that at the Charles de Gaulle–Étoile end of the route, the Line 6 station there consists of one track and a pair of platforms of both sides, with one side for boarding only and the other for alighting, a system known as the Spanish Solution. Also, as this is a metro route, it would be a very busy route, with trains averaging around 3-5 minute intervals. It isn't the busiest of the Paris Métro lines (it's actually only the 6th in terms of passenger usage) but I could imagine it still being one of the busiest TSW routes overall, even if it's timetable mainly consists of basic A to B services. Another big factor regarding this route is that it's also very scenic, partly thanks to the fact that this line has the move above ground/partly above ground station of any Paris Metro line with 13, which if feel is very important factor for bringing any route of this kind in TSW. You see, in my eyes, if you're going to do a metro/underground/subway line in TSW, it has to have a significant portion of the route be set above ground, otherwise if it just set all below ground (with maybe the odd opening every now and then) it would just get boring after a while of driving through dark tunnels, which a lot of the Paris Métro system is too an extent. Now this wouldn't be a problem with this route as it has plenty of above ground sections and obviously, you will be travelling above the street of Paris for most of the way, with views of mainly the buildings along the way, as well one point around Sèvres-Lecourbe, were it's possible to get a view down towards the Les Invalides. Plus, even if you won't see them, as the stations are below ground, the two end stations are located below two of cities more iconic landmarks, the Arc de Triomphe & Place de le Nation respectively. But definitely the high point of this route scenery wise is the fact that not only do you cross the Seine river twice, but you do so above ground, once at Pont de Bercy, and in what could be the routes true iconic point (as well as one of Paris' most iconic shots), at Pont de Bir Hakeim, which the sight of the Eiffel Tower in the background. But aside from all that, there is arguably one aspect of this route that would truly set it apart from any other TSW route to date, more than the fact that it's set on a Paris Métro Line, more than the fact it promises to be incredibly busy and even more than any of it's scenery and iconic locations that it pass by. Can you guess what this aspect might be?... …it's the fact that this is a rubber-tyre metro route. If you don't know what this is, instead of using traditional railway wheels, the trains on this route use tyres that run along a guided path. While the route does have traditional steel tracks that support wheels with deep flanges, they are only there for guidance purposes through point work and to help the train stay on track if the tyre system fails. The idea behind this is that trains can accelerate & decelerate much faster than there conventional wheeled counterparts, along with being able to climb steeper gradients and offering a quieter ride in open air from both inside and out of the train. It does have it drawbacks, such as a much higher energy consumption, a worse ride quality, the possibility of the tyres blowing out and considering the open air elements of this route, the tyres losing their advantage in inclement or variable weather. The later issue was addressed by having the trains be fitted with grooves and the rails being ribbed, allowing for better adhesion on the above-ground sections. It interesting to note that this line didn't originally open as a rubber-tyre metro, when it first fully opened in 1909, it was just a traditional steel rail/wheeled line. The tyre conversion didn't happen until the early 1970's, in a effort to reduce noise, after the RATP (the company that operates the Paris Métro system) did the same for Lines 1 & 4. In all, it's this rubber-tyre aspect that would really elevate and make this route stand out from any other TSW route to date, along with offer some unique challenges and learning experiences of it's own, as you get to grip with the fact that you can get off the mark faster and stop much quicker than a traditional railed counterpart, along with having to get to grip with driving a rubber-tyre train in inclement weather. Now that the basics of the route has been covered, let's see what it actually looks like in real life, a let me tell you, in some places, it really does look the part. Pictures of the route in real life Charles de Gaulle–Étoile Passy Pont de Bir-Hakeim Montparnasse–Bienvenüe Glacière Place d'Italie Pont de Bercy Bercy Bel-Air Nation Available Locos This is feel is going to be very easy and straightforward. Compared to most suggestions that I've doing lately which would usually contain a minimum of 2 to a maximum of 5, this route would have 1 loco, as there isn't isn't really anything else you could add to this route that doesn't require making a entire second loco, and since I like to keep these suggestions realistic, I'm going to stick with just the one for now. But it is an interesting loco, as you will see. RATP MP 73 The obvious choice for the main loco here, as the MP 73 has been in service ever since this line was converted to rubber-tyre operations in 1974. All 250 cars (50 trainsets) were built and introduced in that year, being put into service during the month of July 1974, making them the only Paris Métro rolling stock to be put into service within the space of a year, They are rubber-tyre derived variant of the steel-wheeled MF 67, sharing many of it's body characteristics, such as it's angular front. But the biggest strength these trains were able to bring was the fact that they reduced noise along the outdoor portions of the route, with a maximum noise output of 67.5 dB(A) compared to the 80 dB(A) of it's predecessor, taken from actual viaduct measurements during commissioning . While they were originally painted Blue & Light Grey, they have since painted in the traditional RATP colours of aqua & white, which is the livery that would feature in this route. It safe to say, all of the services on this route would be operated by this train, practically responsible for all the end-to-end full line runs, depots moves in and out of Italie Shops, and even some possible empty stock moves, mostly to some of the small underground sidings that appear along the route. Gare d'Austerlitz AI TGV Services Now I didn't think originally that this route wouldn't have any additional stuff coming from other routes as A: The only French route apart from this would be LGV Med and B: Nothing would ever feel appropirate for a route like this. Even in areas that could something running along as simply AI, it's either in an area where the route runs underground or is out of it's sight, so wouldn't really see it anyways. However, I was able to find one potential area. Between Quai de La Gare and Chevaleret, the route passes over the tracks leading into Gare d'Austerlitz station, which would be visible from the main route. Even though they don't come here on a regular basis, TGV services would sometimes be rerouted here from Montparnasse (with Line 6 does pass by and has a station in close vacinity, but the big station would never be visible) if that station has engineering works going on, so it could be possible to have the TGV Duplex from LGV Med operate these services as AI, as they enter & exit Austerlitz. It wouldn't be that many services, but it certainly help add bit more life, as well as something to look out for while passing through the area. Future Loco Add-Ons Originally, this section was just going to be the one loco add-on and that was it, as there is only one other loco that regularly runs on this route, but then I had another look at this route and I found out that it's actually possible to have a second loco add-on as well in this section that would actually feel appropriate, and it's fitting, because while this route would be set in the modern day, as it is today, with the loco that has been the mainstay of this route for many years, this section will honour the routes past and future. CMP Sprague-Thompson So even if this is a rubber-tyre metro, it is indeed possible to have a traditional steel-wheeled loco run on it, as is the case for this piece of rolling stock, dating back to 1908. When they were introduced, they were first piece of Paris Métro rolling stock to be made entirely of metal, compared to the wooden bodied M1's that they replaced. They were once incredibly common on the network with over 2700 cars being built for use on the majority of the steel-railed lines, including Line 6, often operating in 3, 4 or 5 car trainsets, depending on the line. They began to be phased out when in the 1950's when many lines were converted to tyres, in the case of Line 6, they were withdrawn from that line in 1975, but a few did operate alongside the tyre-driven MP73, which would have been a weird sight to behold. It would finally be withdrawn in 1983, with one 5 car set being preserved and used on heritage runs across the network and has even just recently been restored after years of being left in an abandoned tunnel. The train that would come with this add-on would be in CMP (short for Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris) colours, which would be mainly green with one red coach and would offer two experiences. One is a separate timetable that would solely consist of this train operating services in the same manner as the MP73 and the other is a few special excursion services to the main timetable, offering a chance to see the old steel-wheeled train alongside the current rubber-tyre equivalent. RATP MP 89CC Despite the fact that the MP73 has been the mainstay of services on Line 6 for nearly 50 years, their time is short, as they due for replacement by these trains, even though they were first introduced all the way back in 1997. That's because they were first introduced for Line 1, to allow the existing MP 59's on that route to be cascaded to other lines. There are actually two variants for this train, CC manually driven variant (totalling 52 sets) and an automated CA variant (totalling 21 sets), the later of which was built for use on Line 14, which would open in 1998, but it's the manual CC variant that is the focus of this suggestion. After Line 1 was fully automated, the MP 89's would be replaced on that line by the similar MP 05's and they would be moved over to Line 4, again replacing the MP59's, with modifications being made to that route in order to better occupy them. Now that Line 4 is in the process of being fully-automated, the sets will be shorted to 5-cars (they were 6 when on Lines 1 & 4) and moved to this line, eventually replacing the existing MP 73's by 2026. But for now, in the context of this add-on, they would just sub into the existing MP 73 services, helping add a little variety and offering a taste of what's to come with this line, as the old trains are phased out in favour of trains that, while have been in service for over 20 years by this point, are still a whole lot newer than what they replace. Conclusion Overall, what a really interesting and fun route this could be. Yes it's incredibly short, but what it lacks in length, it more than makes up in everything else. Such as being incredibly dense, having a very busy timetable (even if a little simplistic), the unique rubber-tyre aspect, the scenery as you drive above the streets of Paris in the order sections, a solid lead loco and even a pair of loco add-ons that honour the routes past and future, along with a surprise layer that I didn't think would even be possible around were the route passes near to Austerlitz. To be honest, it's definitely more of a novelty route more than anything else, and I don't think it would appeal to everyone. But I do think it's worth bringing to TSW for the sake of having a route unlike anything else we've seen before. Plus, it's a great excuse to go back to France again, which we haven't had another route LGV Med came out coming up to 3 years ago. Also, even despite the one loco and simplistic timetable, I could imagine this being a lot of fun in both free roam and scenario planner, with the ability to put whatever loco onto this route and do whatever crazy that you would most want to do here. It might seem like a very small route, among one of the smallest if made, but this route offers so much more that what you see at first glance, not only bringing TSW back to area that only has one route right now, but most importantly, bringing it to one of the most beautiful cities on earth, right around the centre of Paris. As always, if you have any ideas that you would like to see on this route, or there's something that you feel can be done differently, then feel free to let me know in the replies down below. That's all from me, and I'll see you all next time. Image Sources https://www.flickr.com/photos/wirewiping/4817980217 https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Station_Métro_Charles_Gaulle_Étoile_ligne_6_Paris_2.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passy_station https://www.flickr.com/photos/meteorry/7158916677 https://www.metex.app/lines/6/montparnasse-bienvenue/ https://structurae.net/en/media/149498-paris-metro-line-6-glaciere-metro-station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Station_Place_Italie_Métro_Paris_Ligne_6_-_Paris_XIII_(FR75)_-_2022-06-28_-_4.jpg https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/new...-completely-closed-in-the-evening-in-december https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Metro_de_Paris_-_Ligne_6_-_Bercy_01.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Bel-Air_métro_Q02.jpg https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nation_station https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:MP73_RATP.jpg https://www.flickr.com/photos/153700749@N04/42103148990 https://transpressnz.blogspot.com/2010/12/paris-metro-sprague-thomson-memories-2.html https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paris_Métro_Line_6
Fantastic suggestion, I would like to see Line 6 in game as it is the only Paris Metro route I have been on to date so it would be great to see this line, plus I like how the rubber tyres would make this route interesting. Plus, it would provide a massive contrast to the direct link between Charles de Gaulle-Étoile and Nation on the RER A line too
Excellent suggestion and I wonder if the game has the capability of using rubber tire trains physics.
