The MF 77 is a steel-wheeled variant of the rolling stock used on the Paris Métro

Paris Métro

The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...

. First used in 1978, it now runs on Lines 7

Paris Metro Line 7

Paris Métro Line 7 is one of sixteen lines of the Paris Métro system. Crossing the capital from its north-eastern to south-eastern sections via a moderately curved path, it links La Courneuve – 8 Mai 1945 in the north with Mairie d'Ivry and Villejuif – Louis Aragon in the south, while passing...

, 8

Paris Metro Line 8

Paris Métro Line 8 is one of 16 metro lines in Paris, France. It connects the Balard station in southwestern Paris, to Créteil – Préfecture station in Créteil, a town south-east of the French capital, following a parabolic route on the right bank of Seine River...

, and 13

Paris Metro Line 13

Line 13 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. The result of the fusion of the now-extinct Line B of the Nord-Sud Company and the old Line 14 of the CMP. Their creation was destined to be replaced by a north-south RER line before the reorganisation of the...

.

Unlike previous models, the MF 77 was designed for travel into the immediate suburbs of Paris, and as a result has a maximum speed of 100 km/h (62 mph) which has yet to be fully utilised. In addition, it sports a new, curved silhouette with a wider mid-section. Its original exterior colours, blue and white, led passengers to refer to it as "le métro blanc," or white metro.

Replacing the Sprague

In the early 1970s, upon the completion of the MF 67 delivery, at the time the newest steel-wheeled trains on the Métro, many technological advances in braking and traction caused the RATP, which oversees operations of the Parisian public transport network, to examine the possibilities for new steel, rather than rubber, wheeled trains to replace the ageing Sprague-Thomson

Sprague-Thomson

Sprague-Thomson is the name of the first rolling stock on the Paris Métro made completely of metal.-Research before 1908:In light of the Paris Métro train fire of 1903, the Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris searched for a rolling stock that was both durable and safe. The Thomson...

 fleet. Thus, the RATP commissioned a consortium of companies including Alstom

Alstom

Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...

, CEM, Creusot-Loire, and Jeumont Schneider, to design a new addition to the Métro's rolling stock, the MF 77.

The RATP's goal at the time of commission was for 1,000 cars, 600 of which to contain motors for 200 five-car sets. Later, the order was reduced to 187 sets for a total for 935 cars. The first trains were delivered in the summer of 1978, the first being run on 26 September of that year on Line 13, whose MF 67 trains were transferred to Line 8. A second order of ten sets was contracted on 4 February 1983, released in 1985 and 1986.

Tehnical specifications

• Train-sets delivered: 197
• Configuration: M+R+M+R+M
• Overall length: 77.40 m
• Maximum width: 2.45 m
• Weight: 131 tons (29.5 tons for the motor coaches, 21.5 tons for the trailers)
• Material: Aluminium alloy
• Power: 1500 kW
• Acceleration: 0.90 m/s2 (in normal load)
• Braking: Electric braking up to 24 km/h + air-operated brake. 1 disc brake for all the axles + 1 brake with shoe by wheel on the trailers
• Bogies: Cast solid wheel
• Maximum speed: 100 km/h
• Authorized speed: 70 km/h
• Doors: 3 sliding doors per face with manual opening, opening of 1575 mm
• Air-conditioning: None
• Seats: 128 + 118 (folding seats)
• Capacity: 574 people