On 03/09/2013 10:33, Richard wrote:
On Sun, 01 Sep 2013 23:29:06 +0100, Paul Corfield
wrote:

I'm out of date then. I knew they had clever train management systems
to assist in the maintenance of headways but didn't know they were all
ATO. I thought most of the lines were still manually driven and
conventionally signalled.

Paris tried their first ATO in the 50s, on a short line not in service
any more. After what must have been a lot of thought, the first line
(11) was converted in 1969. The rest of the network, except
short/quiet lines 3b, 7b and 10 were converted over the next 10 years,
some being refitted with the latest version.

It might look like there isn't ATO as all original lines are fully
conventionally signalled along with the plethora of words, times,
lights, bells and whistles that seem to be there to keep the trains on
time as you mention above!

The newest ATO is now on lines 1 and 14, with, I think 4 coming next.
With this system (SAET) there are colour lights as before but these
are nothing to do with the ATO so the red aspect is replaced with
purple to avoid frightening the horses (pax at the front of the
train). A train in ATO occupies relatively short "virtual" blocks
(but still fixed, I think like the Victoria line?). The real block
sections are, AIUI not necessarily aligned with some number of virtual
blocks and are only there for trains being driven manually.

Richard.

I thought that there were a couple of lines that were still manual.
Admittedly, however, that was in 1999.