Paris suburban rail

[Taunton]

With brutal hard seating as I vaguely recall ...."basic" units to say the least.

Well the seats were just wooden in second class. Common in Europe, the old Berlin S-Bahn trains were the same. I seem to remember the Paris Metro ones in first class did have some padding. Paris must have been the last major urban transit system to retain first and second class, until the 1990s, the first was normally the centre car of the train and the cars were painted a different colour - the old trains were utility green for most cars, and the first class were red. The newer trains were pale blue with cream stripes, the firsts were the reverse, cream with pale blue stripes. Composites were actually painted half and half in each colour scheme. An overhead sign on each platform indicated where the first class car stopped.

The Paris Visitor weekly ticket gave first class as a matter of course. I never had a ticket examination in there.

 

[edwin_m]

Paris must have been the last major urban transit system to retain first and second class, until the 1990s

In Europe this may be so. The Dubai Metro has a "Gold Class" and some or all the metros under construction or planned in Saudi will have two classes plus a separate area for families.

 

[Tim R-T-C]

The Tehran Metro has separate ladies coaches in the first and last cars of each set. Did not appear to be any different in fittings.

 

[Peter Mugridge]

On the "Classic" old Paris Metro stock, which lasted from the 1920s to the early 1980s.

Ah. Sprague stock?

 

[Taunton]

In Europe this may be so. The Dubai Metro has a "Gold Class" and some or all the metros under construction or planned in Saudi will have two classes plus a separate area for families.

You are of course correct, I should have recalled this, having actually ridden the Dubai Metro. the first car (of five) was divided, half Gold Class and half Women only. Discussing this the next day at the client's offices, a (European) woman there said she never travelled in that car, as it was too noisy with all the small children.

Not just air conditioned cars but air conditioned platforms as well. Full height platform doors keep the cool air inside.