Angers tramway
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| Overview | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Native name | Tramway d'Angers | ||
| Locale | Angers, Pays de la Loire, France | ||
| Transit type | Tram | ||
| Number of lines | 1 | ||
| Number of stations | 25[1] | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 25 June 2011[1] | ||
| Operator(s) | Keolis[2] | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 12 km (7.5 mi)[1] | ||
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge | ||
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The Angers tramway (French: Tramway d'Angers) is a single-line tramway in the French city of Angers in Pays de la Loire.
Opened on 25 June 2011,[1] Line A is operated by Keolis[2] and replaced some bus lines, with the buses redeployed throughout the rest of the metropolitan area. Alstom's APS ground-level power supply has been used on two parts of the line totalling 1.5 km[1] in order to avoid overhead lines in the centre of Angers and Avrillé. Angers is the second city using such system, after Bordeaux.
Timeline
- April 2007: Works officially started.
- April 2010: Delivery of the Citadis 302 trams
- December 2010: Testing
- January 2011: Operation of shadow service without passengers
- 25 June 2011: Line A in service[1]
Line A: Avrillé-La Roseraie
The total budget for the first line, re-evaluated in 2008, is around €350m (€47m for the trams), up from the 2004 estimate of €250m.
Main features for Line A:
- North-South connection across the metropolitan area, connecting Avrillé (third most populous town ) to La Roseraie (most populous district in Angers).[1]
- Non-stop service from 5.30 AM until 0.30 AM (19 hours a day)
- 12 kilometers (7.5 mi)[1]
- 25 stations[1]
- End to end journey time of 37 minutes;
- Average speed of 20 km/h (13 mph)
- 6 minute headways during peak hours.
- an estimated 35,000 passengers expected daily.
As the line goes on both banks of the Maine, a new bridge was built to allow the trams to cross the river. It connects Angers' University Hospital Centre to Saint-Serge. This 270m bridge is accessible to bicycles and pedestrians as well as emergency vehicles.
Stations
- Angers-Roseraie
- Jean Vilar
- Jean XXIII
- Bamako
- Strasbourg
- Place Lafayette
- Les Gares
- Foch-Haras
- Foch-Maison Bleue
- Ralliement
- Molière
- Saint-Serge Université
- Berges de Maine
- C.H.U-Hôpital
- Capucins
- Jean Moulin
- Les Hauts De Saint Aubin
- Verneau
- Terra Botanica
- Plateau Mayenne
- Bois du Roy
- Acacias
- Saint Gilles
- Bascule
- Avrillé-Ardenne
Advantages
- Good public transport system for Avrillé (third town in the metropolitan area after Angers and Trélazé), bringing more life to the city centre and assisting with the development of new neighbourhoods
- Connecting new districts: Plateaux de la Mayenne and des Capucins
- Tram station close to Terra Botanica
- Connecting important facilities such as the University Hospital Centre (4,500 employees and 3,000 visitors a day), Angers Saint-Laud railway station and the administrative city
- The new bridge on the Maine is used by trams, bicycles and pedestrians between the hospital and the Gaumont Film Company studios.
- A better connections to the Angers city centre and improved traffic flows
- A more attractive city centre (including a larger pedestrian area)
- Complementarity of different transport types around the central connection point, Angers Saint-Laud railway station and bus station
- Connecting La Roseraie as part of the urban renovation of the district.
Drawbacks
- No connection to the biggest campus of Angers in Belle-Beille, which is to be connected by Line B.
- Line A passes through place du Ralliement, which will still be accessible for pedestrians, emergency and delivery vehicles as well as bicycles, but buses will not have access to it, nor will other tram lines.
Rolling stock
Angers Loire Métropole awarded Alstom a €47m contract to supply 17 Citadis 302 trams on 15 November 2006.[2]
Design of rolling stock
Design and personalization of the rolling stock is characterized by the front end "convergence" V-shape similar in form to a shield. The other major feature is the ubiquity of a rainbow, designed by the French agency RCP Design Global is found in the color scheme and interior design of the trams and other transportation in the city.[2]
The interior of the trams is marked by floral figures in different colors on the ceiling, white walls and green seats to reflect the geological layers of Anjou.[3]
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External design - by RCP Design Global
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The rainbow
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Ceiling view with the floral figures
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Ceiling view
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Seat of the Angers tramway
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Seat view - design by RCP Design Global
Future service: Line B
The 15 km (9.3 mi) Line B will open by 2020. It will run from Beaucouzé, via the Atoll shopping centre and Belle-Beille University to the main railway station and Parc des Expositions (Saint-Sylvain-d'Anjou) through Monplaisir district.
See also
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Angers tram opens". Railway Gazette International. 29 June 2011.
- 1 2 3 4 "Mayor of Angers visits first tram". Railway Gazette International. 5 February 2009.
- ↑ (French) LAVAL, Patrick, Le deuxième Citadis à alimentation par le sol à Angers. Ville Rail & Transport, 04/2010.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Trams in Angers. |
- Angers Loire métropole tram website (French)
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