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    <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <copyright>Copyright © 2026. National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved.</copyright>
    <docs>http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss</docs>
    <managingEditor>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</managingEditor>
    <webMaster>tris-trb@nas.edu (Bill McLeod)</webMaster>
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      <title>Transport Research International Documentation (TRID)</title>
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    <item>
      <title>TOULOUSE FOLLOWS LILLE INTO FULL AUTOMATION</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/271462</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The technical success of VAL persuaded Toulouse that driverless trains offered operating economies and a better service despite higher costs.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 27 Aug 2004 22:01:23 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/271462</guid>
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      <title>THE "VAL" IN STRASBOURG</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/276820</link>
      <description><![CDATA[On 29 November 1985, the council of the Urban Community of Strasbourg adopted the VAL system as the future rapid transit system for the Strasbourg urban center. Studies on a right-of-way transport network date back to March 1974 and led to the submission of a tramway file in June 1983 resulting in the adoption of a system with a significant length of the network under ground (and hence costly) making the lightweight metro solution a possibility. Finally, it was the VAL system which was adopted. The article describes the configuration of the first line as well as the general choices made. The preliminary design will include a first phase of about 3 months which will be followed by the actual engineering study.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Mon, 30 Nov 1987 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/276820</guid>
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      <title>VAL - A SUCCESS STORY</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/271357</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The success of the automated VAL system in Lille, northern France is discussed.  The system which consists of a 13.5 km metro line with 18 stations derives its success from two main factors:  high labour productivity, (as a consequence of extensive automation) and a patronage level at about 110,000 each working day which is 50% higher than initial forecasts.  The computer controlled, driverless Lille metro, which is operated by rubber tyred vehicles running on a concrete guideway, has a total staff of 175.  The success of the system has led to possible similar implementations in Toulouse, Geneva and various USA locations.  The system availability has proved to be very high at a rate of 0.994 in 1984 and according to a survey 94% of Lille trains completed a round trip (27 km/36 stops) on time.  Platform doors which provide a barrier between platform and track and open synchronously with the doors of the train have been an important factor in the safety of the system.  Val has had a considerable impact on the rest of the public transport network in the Lille area -overall patronage 1982-84 having increased by 50%.  A survey of passengers has shown that there is no reluctance to ride on trains without a driver. rationale for laws pertaining exclusively to teenagers, and arguments for and against such laws, are also discussed. (a) for the covering abstract of the symposium see IRRD 284321.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 31 Jul 1986 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/271357</guid>
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      <title>MODERNIZATION OF LILLE STATION</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/270599</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Few movements had been made to Lille station since its construction was completed in 1882.  Time has aged its appearance and the layout was poorly adapted to present-day working requirements.  Once the Lille city authorities had decided that the VAL automatic metro system should be built with a station beneath the main railway station, the SNCF, the City and the Nord-Pas de Calais Regional Authority.  The project adopted retains and enhances the 19th century architecture of the building while providing functional amenities which make it a modern station well adapted to its role of being the hub of public transport for the Lille area.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 31 Dec 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/270599</guid>
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      <title>THE LILLE UNDERGROUND--FIRST APPLICATION OF THE VAL SYSTEM</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/270013</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The VAL system was the first totally automatic transit system opened in France.  This paper examines the reasons behind the development and application of the VAL technology to date.  The technology is described including the vehicles, guideway and supporting equipment, as well as its operating system.  The paper concludes with a review of the experimental operation of the first of the line and the public's reaction.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 30 Nov 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/270013</guid>
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      <title>RAIL TRAVEL: HIGH-TECH TONIC FOR ORLANDO'S GROWTH WOES</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/270280</link>
      <description><![CDATA[A $375 million rail transit system linking Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, and the International Drive tourist area would be a first in a number of ways:  It would be the first transit system built in the United States since the 1920s with substantial private investment.  It would be the only automated, driverless public transit system in the country and one of only a few in the world.  It would be the first public transit system since before WWII developed and operated entirely by a private company; a consortium is headed by Matra, a French high-tech conglomerate.  It would be the only public transit system to depend mostly on tourists for riders.  Landowners around the 11.9-mile route would be required to pay special taxes, and the value of their land would rise.  Lou Treadway, Commissioner in Orange County, is an enthusiastic backer of the project; he thinks it may remedy shrinking federal aid, disappointing ridership, huge cost overruns, and high operating subsidies. Sweeping changes in land-use plans encouraging high-density development and discouraging automobile use are sought for the project.  Current opinion on the project is largely favorable, though corporate executives rejected tax changes needed to fund the system a year ago. Devloping a system with both private and public money through Matra, may make the plan work.  Matra is creating a financial plan for the system; it would build the system, then lease and operate it.  Passenger fares and an annual service fee of about $10 million from Orange County are expected to fund the system.  Supporters believe the system will become a tourist attraction; that's one reason they chose the high-tech VAL (Vehicules Automatique Leger) rather than conventional technology.  Most developers and planners think the plan has possible application in dealing with the region's explosive growth. Approval of the $10 million service fee, Disney World's support, and agreement with land-use changes are all requisite to the plan's success.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Sat, 30 Nov 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/270280</guid>
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      <title>LILLE--TWO YEARS EXPERIENCE</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/218371</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Lille Metro, the fully automated VAL urban transit system, has operated for 2 years and carried 40 million passengers.  Operation of trains without personnel on board has caused no anxiety or reticience on the part of users.  VAL got off to a troble-free start and has won the complete acceptance of Lille citizens.  The second-stage, due for opening in 1989, will require a total fleet of 83 2-car trains.  Rush-hour headway is now 1.5 min; off-peak the headway is 3 min and at night 5 min.  The car fleet will be expanded in 1986 to permit 1-min headways during the peak.  Full automation brings a radical change in the economics of rapid transit and achieves safety and availability equal or superior to the best conventional systems.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 31 Oct 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/218371</guid>
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    <item>
      <title>FRENCH TRANSPORT STEPS AHEAD</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/217606</link>
      <description><![CDATA[From high-speed intercity passenger trains to downtown people movers, French ground transport research has usually outperformed that done in Britain.  The French have been more willing to spend money on transport, even though expenditures on transport R&D have not been too different.  While British programs are largely haphazard, the French government has recently fostered a 6-year plan with major aims of halting the decline of railways and the automobile industry.  France's Commission on Ground Transport has budgeted 2300 million francs over 6 years with the government's share being 300 million annually.  The Commission report divides the R&D program into 10 subjects.  One is to cut car and truck fuel consumption and another is to reduce highway deaths by one third.  Public transit is not seen solely as a way of saving energy, even though France, like Britain, abandoned capital-intensive transit such as streetcars and trolley buses with energy-consuming diesel buses in the 1950s.  Now deliberate policy is bringing back both light rail and the electric bus, taking advantage of new technology.  Paris Metro is adopting automatic train operation and this concept is being applied to French people movers.  Some projects have been less than successful, including the TRAX accelerating walkway which has been unable to resolve its technical problems and may be abandoned.  R&D benefits for France are seen not only as enhanced domestic transportation but also as a growing export potential for new technologies.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 31 Jul 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/217606</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>RAILWAYS: MASS TRANSIT</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/210553</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Urban mass transit systems are a major growth area for the railway industry, posing quite different challenges from the high-speed inter-city transport network.  The Hong Kong Mass Transit Railway (MTR) has become the classic example of what heavy rail urban transport can do.  The Hong Kong MTR also illustrates the growing use of automation in mass transit operation.  The fundamental requirement is safety and this is met by automatic train protection.  Individual trains run under automatic train operation and the efficient running of the complete system is provided by automatic train supervision.  Distinguishing the Lille Metro (VAL) from other urban railways is the fact that it is designed to operate as a genuinely automated system under the control of a central computer.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 30 Jan 1985 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/210553</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>CONTROL IN TRANSPORTATION SYSTEMS. PROCEEDINGS OF THE 4TH IFAC/IFIP/IFORS INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE, BADEN-BADEN, FEDERAL REPUBLIC OF GERMANY, APRIL 20-22 1983</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/205926</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Some of the papers presented at the conference are as follows: Operations of ground transportation systems-traffic control of subways (Lassalle, J-M); Availability and safety (Gelbstein, EE); The impact of modelling on the operation of transportation systems (Scheizer, G); The Lille underground-first application of the Val system (Ferbeck, D and Plagnol, M); Demand bus system for Tsukuba Science City and its simulation study (Tsugawas, S); Determination of optimal path and allocation of demand buses using fuzzy heuristic approach (Nadkatsuyama, M, Nishizuka, D and Nagahashi, H); Optimal dispatching control of bus lines (Adamski, A); Digital state control and observation of maglev vehicle motions (Schnieder, E and Kraft, KH); Requirements of operations control for maglev transit systems (Kraft, KH and Schnieder, E); Automatic routing and scheduling of a fleet of vehicles providing door-to-door service for handicapped people (Lahaut, M); The conception and development of an operational control system for flexible modes of operation (Bredendiek, R and Kratschmer, W); Allocation algorithm for mixed operation modes (Kratschmer, W, Frank, RJ, Denninger, R and Bredendiek, R); Energy regeneration in transportation systems. Methodologies for power-networks simulation (Capasso, A, Lamedica, R and Penna, C); Distributed Microcomputer-based control of multiple signalized traffic intersections (Greenberg, P, Trabelsi, A and Tabak, D); Determining the time-dependent trip distribution in a complex intersection for traffic responsive control (Cremer, M).  (TRRL)]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Oct 1984 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/205926</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>THE FIRST STEPS OF THE LILLE METRO</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/209537</link>
      <description><![CDATA[Since 16 May, 1983, the Lille Metro has been operating commercially.  It is a beginning full of promise since, during the first two months, more than two million passengers used the VAL system.  On the one hand, the placing in service of this new completely automatic mode of transport took place successfully and, on the other hand, the reactions of the public are extremely positive. The completely automatic working makes it possible to improve considerably the quality and safety of the service offered.  In addition, it gives rise to a new operating organisation allowing for enhanced human relationship between the operating staff and the public. Apart from the technical and financial advantages offered by the automatic working, its impact at human level is undeniable, although still is known little about it.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Oct 1984 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/209537</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>VAL VIVE LA DIFFERENCE!</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/209733</link>
      <description><![CDATA[In its first year the VAL system in Lille, France, attracted 13 million riders to its initial 8.4-mile segment opened in May 1983.  This was almost 3 times the projected ridership.  VAL technology, which includes rubber tire vehicles and complete automation, was chosen because it offered several cost-saving features. Along with crewless operation, the small lightweight vehicles make possible smaller tunnels and low-cost elevated guideways.  The Lille system has a very extensive surveillance and communications system to assure passengers on the unmanned trains.  Platform screens are used at stations to insure safety of passengers who must wait until platform and train doors are aligned and then opened.  Architecture received great emphasis in the design of stations.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Tue, 30 Oct 1984 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/209733</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>LILLE'S UNMANNED METRO CELEBRATES FIRST BIRTHDAY</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/203793</link>
      <description><![CDATA[After one year of successful operation of the first part of Lille's automated metro, the final section of Line 1 serving the Regional Hospital Centre opens on May 2.  Line 1 needs only 170 staff who account for just 38 per cent of operating costs.  Engineering design of a second route is virtually complete, and tenders for civil engineering work and a second batch of rubber-tyred cars are about to be called.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Thu, 28 Jun 1984 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/203793</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>METROS IN FRANCE AND ABROAD</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/201917</link>
      <description><![CDATA[This publication first reviews current metro-building projects in France, describing the techniques used (Paris: extension of line no. 5; Marseille: extension of line 2 in the North and South; Lyon. line D under the Rhone and Saone; Lille: "Republique--C.H.R.B. Calmette" section); and then lists projects abroad in which French firms have been involved (Hong Kong, Cairo, Lagos).]]></description>
      <pubDate>Wed, 29 Feb 1984 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/201917</guid>
    </item>
    <item>
      <title>LILLE WELCOMES ITS DRIVERLESS METRO</title>
      <link>https://trid.trb.org/View/195147</link>
      <description><![CDATA[The automated guideway transit system opened in Lille, France, in the spring of 1983 will extend across the city and operate entirely with crewless trains.  This rubber-tired system, a variation of the same concept used elsewhere in France and overseas, was designed by MARTA and is called Vehicule Automatique Legere (VAL).  The basic VAL vehicle consists of two permanently-coupled car bodies each carried on twin axles with rubber tire wheels. The wheels run on concrete tracks and the vehicle is guided by horizontal guide wheels in contact with lateral guide rails which also serve as conductors for the 750-volt traction supply.  The automatic train operation system is described, along with the continuous glass paneling along the edges of station platforms in which doors open simultaneously with the train side doors after the train has stopped and alignment has been assured.  Other details of the control system and of the introduction of service are also given.]]></description>
      <pubDate>Fri, 30 Sep 1983 00:00:00 GMT</pubDate>
      <guid>https://trid.trb.org/View/195147</guid>
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