# MP 73
The **MP 73** (Métro Pneu appel d'offres 1973, rubber-tyred metro ordered in 1973) was a rubber-tyred electric multiple unit built for the [Paris Métro](https://www.edgepedia.org/paris-metro), ordered by the RATP in 1973 and placed in service on Line 6 in July 1974, where it ran for 52 years until its last journey on 8 July 2026.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) • [2](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Name | Métro Pneu appel d'offres 1973, rubber-tyred stock ordered in 1973[2](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11) |
| Service | Line 6 from July 1974 to 8 July 2026; seven trainsets also ran on Line 11 from 1986 to 1999[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) • [2](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11) |
| Fleet | 50 five-car trainsets (M-N-A-B-M) ordered in 1973; 38 entered service within a single month[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) • [2](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11) |
| Builders | Alsthom and the Compagnie Industrielle de Matériel de Transport (CIMT Lorraine)[3](https://www.patrimoine-ferroviaire.fr/ratp-motrice-mp73-m-3584/) |
| Technical data | Maximum speed 70 km/h; 750 V DC supply by third rail[3](https://www.patrimoine-ferroviaire.fr/ratp-motrice-mp73-m-3584/) |
| Retirement | Replaced by MP89 CC trains cascaded from Line 4, starting January 2023; last MP73 run 8 July 2026[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) |
## Design and entry into service
Line 6, half of whose 13.6 km route runs in the open air on viaducts, was converted to rubber-tire operation in 1974 to reduce noise for residents along the elevated sections.[4](https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/metros/ratp-shuffles-rubber-tyred-rolling-stock-as-part-of-line-6-upgrade/) The MP 73 was derived directly from the earlier [MP 59](https://www.edgepedia.org/mp-59) with technical and aesthetic improvements: reinforced lighting, cab heating adjustable by the driver, treaded tires for open-air running, lightweight car bodies, a new exterior style in the continuity of the MF 67 steel-wheel train, and more comfortable seats.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) The motor car M 3584, preserved by the Patrimoine Ferroviaire Français association, was built by Alsthom and CIMT Lorraine in 1974 and spent its whole career on Line 6 in trainset 6542.[3](https://www.patrimoine-ferroviaire.fr/ratp-motrice-mp73-m-3584/)
The delivery was unusually fast. Of the 50 trainsets delivered from 1973, 38 were put into service within a single month, which required them to be stabled beforehand at various sites equipped for rubber-tyred stock; the last deliveries followed the disappearance of the Sprague-Thomson trains from Line 6.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) Because Line 6 runs in the open, the design also required adaptations to the infrastructure against the weather: the smooth tires were replaced by treaded (ZZ) tires, the running surfaces of the roll ways were grooved, and heating cords of 60 W/m were installed on the rail and the roll ways, fed at 750 V DC and activated in snow and icy conditions.[5](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/medias/portail-idfm/56a55060-6340-49fc-94a6-0620686cb1e9_RAA_88_DOC_FINAL_WEB-1.pdf)
## Service history
The MP 73 equipped Line 6 for its entire career, with a brief detour. From 1986 to 1999, seven trainsets ran on Line 11, deprived of their B cars to match that line's four-car formation; they returned to Line 6 in January 1999 when Line 11 retired its last MP 55 trains.[2](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11)
**Mid-life renovation.** After the RATP adopted its new visual identity in 1992, the MP 73 underwent a mid-life revision between 1998 and 2002, essentially aesthetic: new front ends, lighting, and car interior fittings. The trains progressively took on the jade green livery of the RATP.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) Of the 50 trainsets built, four were withdrawn early after accidents.[2](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11)
## Replacement
The rubber-tire fleet renewal program, begun in 2022 and running to 2026, cascaded the 52 MP89 CC trainsets of Line 4, which was being automated with new MP14 trains, onto Line 6 to retire the end-of-life MP 73 fleet.[6](https://www.ratp.fr/fontenay-sous-bois-projets-atelier-catenaire-et-renouvellement-metros-sur-pneus) The first refurbished MP89 entered service on Line 6 in mid-January 2023.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) To fit the line's smaller platforms, the MP89s were shortened from six to five cars, given mixed doors opening on both sides for stations such as [Charles de Gaulle](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-de-gaulle) - Étoile, fitted with on-board video protection, and given renovated seats, ceilings, and signage.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) • [7](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/actualites/metro-les-mp89-arrivent-sur-la-ligne-6)
The program was financed by Île-de-France Mobilités: the train modernization cost about 90 million euros, and adaptation of the infrastructure (platforms, track, maintenance workshop, signaling) a further 320 million euros; the MP89 arrival also accompanied renewal of the automatic driving system with OCTYS.[8](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/medias/portail-idfm/d2423b5f-47d3-4a4e-ac63-4d8f3f8b8308_Rapport%2Benvironnemental%2B2024.pdf) The last MP73 train, number 6545, in service since July 1974, made its final run on Line 6 on 8 July 2026, after 52 years of service.[1](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6) • [9](https://www.fptu.fr/flashru.php)
## Legacy
The MP 73 served as a design base beyond Paris: the NS 74 trains of Mexico City's metro were based on the MP 68 and MP 73 models.[10](https://ratp.histolab.fr/index.php/ns74) One motor car, M 3584, has been preserved by the Patrimoine Ferroviaire Français association at Saint-Michel-Chef-Chef.[3](https://www.patrimoine-ferroviaire.fr/ratp-motrice-mp73-m-3584/)
## References
1. [Ligne 6 : retour sur la modernisation du matériel roulant, RATP](https://www.ratp.fr/decouvrir/coulisses/modernisation-du-reseau/materiel-roulant-metro-ligne-6)
2. [Le MP73, Lignes-Transports](https://www.lignes-transports.site/articles/article.php?id=11)
3. [RATP motrice MP73 M-3584, Patrimoine Ferroviaire Français](https://www.patrimoine-ferroviaire.fr/ratp-motrice-mp73-m-3584/)
4. [RATP shuffles rubber-tyred rolling stock as part of Line 6 upgrade, International Railway Journal](https://www.railjournal.com/passenger/metros/ratp-shuffles-rubber-tyred-rolling-stock-as-part-of-line-6-upgrade/)
5. [Rapport d'activité, Île-de-France Mobilités](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/medias/portail-idfm/56a55060-6340-49fc-94a6-0620686cb1e9_RAA_88_DOC_FINAL_WEB-1.pdf)
6. [Fontenay-sous-Bois : atelier caténaire et renouvellement des métros sur pneus, RATP](https://www.ratp.fr/fontenay-sous-bois-projets-atelier-catenaire-et-renouvellement-metros-sur-pneus)
7. [Metro: MP89s arrive on line 6, Île-de-France Mobilités](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/en/actualites/metro-les-mp89-arrivent-sur-la-ligne-6)
8. [Rapport sur la situation en matière de développement durable 2024, Île-de-France Mobilités](https://www.iledefrance-mobilites.fr/medias/portail-idfm/d2423b5f-47d3-4a4e-ac63-4d8f3f8b8308_Rapport%2Benvironnemental%2B2024.pdf)
9. [FPTU actualité: dernier voyage pour les trains MP73](https://www.fptu.fr/flashru.php)
10. [NS74, Archives historiques du Groupe RATP](https://ratp.histolab.fr/index.php/ns74)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Technology and the built world › Transport and spaceflight › Rail transport › Rail vehicles and rolling stock › Multiple units and railcars › Western and regional EMU fleets › Continental European metro fleets*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 15, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 15, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license