Montpellier tramway

Montpellier tramway
Overview
Native name Tramway de Montpellier
Locale Montpellier, Languedoc-Roussillon
Transit type Tram
Number of lines 4
Number of stations 84
Daily ridership 282,000 (2012)
Operation
Began operation July 2000
Operator(s) TAM
Technical
System length 63 km (39.1 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
System map
Map of Montpellier tramway

The Montpellier tramway (French: Tramway de Montpellier) is a four-line tramway system in the city of Montpellier in Languedoc-Roussillon, France. The tramway is owned by the agglomeration community of the Montpellier agglomeration (Communauté d'agglomération Montpellier Agglomération), and is operated by the Transports de l'agglomération de Montpellier (TAM) authority.

The first line opened in July 2000 and the second line opened in December 2006. Lines 3 and 4 opened in April 2012 along with an extension of Line 1 and a diversion of Line 2. The western section of line 4 is currently under construction and should be completed by July 2016, thus completing the loop it makes around the city.

A planned fifth line has been put on hold on 2014 due to funding issues and ongoing debates about parts of the approved route.

Line 1

A Citadis 401 tram on line 1 at Odysseum

Line 1 is 15.7 km long and runs entirely within the city limits of Montpellier, going on a looping route from the northwest, through the city centre, and going to the east end of the city, terminating at Odysseum, a shopping and entertainment district. There are 27 stations on the line, with 7 major interchanges. Currently, ridership on the line averages 130,000 passengers per day, exceeding initial ridership projections of 75,000 passengers per day. The line was completed on a budget of €348.8 million. The line is coloured blue.

Line 1 opened on July 1, 2000. The Millénaire station opened on October 11, 2003, and the Malbosc station opened on November 18, 2003. A one-station extension opened on September 21, 2009 from the former Odysseum station, which was renamed Place de France, to a new Odysseum station which serves an additional shopping centre. On April 7, 2012, the west end of the line was extended from Stade de la Mosson to Mosson to connect with the newly opened Line 3.[1]

For the line, stations, station platforms, and urban improvements were done by architect Antoine Garcia-Diaz. The livery of trams on Line 1 was decorated in blue with white swallows by stylists Elizabeth Garouste and Mattia Bonetti. Each tram is named after a community member of the Montpellier agglomeration community.

Rolling stock

All rolling stock on line 1 is stored at the Les Hirondelles depot in the western district of La Paillade, which is located between the Saint-Paul station and the Hauts de Massane station. The rolling stock comprises 30 Citadis 401 trams and 3 Citadis 402 trams manufactured by Alstom.

Originally, Line 1 was operated with 28 3-section Citadis 301 trams with a length of 29.8 m. As ridership became successful on the line and trams had been filling up, between July 2002 and May 2003, the trams were extended from a length of 29.8 m and 3 sections to 40.9 m and 5 sections, and two additional Citadis 401 trams were delivered in January 2002, bringing the number of trams on Line 1 up to 30. The trams are numbered from 2001 to 2030.

In early 2007, three Citadis 302 trams, as used on Line 2, were delivered, and became operational for service on May 2, 2007. The three trams are numbered from 2031 to 2033. All trams on Line 1 have a width of 2.65 m.

Stations

Trams from Line 1 and Line 2 meeting at Corum.

Future

There are plans for further extensions of Line 1 in the future:

Line 2

Orange with flowers livery on Line 2.

Line 2 opened for service on December 16, 2006. It is the longest tram line in France, with a length of 17.5 km and with 28 stations.[3] The line is coloured orange. The Victoire 2 station opened April 16, 2007, being the 33rd station on the line. The line travels between Jacou in the northeast and Saint-Jean-de-Védas in the southwest, via Castelnau-le-Lez (on the boundary with Le Crès) and the centre of Montpellier. Line 2 was built at a cost of €450 million. In April 2007, with the opening of Lines 3 and Line 4, Line 2 was diverted to run from Corum to the SNCF station at Saint-Roch through Comédie.[1]

Part of Line 2, between Sabines and Saint-Jean-le-Sec, uses 2.5 km of an abandoned rail line. Line 2 is double tracked between Notre-Dame-de-Sablassou and Sabines; the remaining 3.5 km of the line is single tracked with passing loops.

As with Line 1, stations, station platforms, and urban improvements on Line 2 were done by architect Antoine Garcia-Diaz. The livery of trams on Line 2 is decorated in orange with flowers by Mattia Bonetti. Each tram is named for a historic person in the Montpellier region.

Rolling stock

Trams on Line 2 are stored at the La Jeune Parque depot, located near the Sabines station.

The rolling stock on Line 2 comprises 24 Citadis 302 trams manufactured by Alstom, with a length of 32.5 m, a width of 2.65 m, and five sections. The trams were delivered between March 2006 and February 2007 and are numbered from 2041 to 2064.

Stations

Line 2 tramway in Saint-Jean-de-Védas.
Line 2 in Castelnau-le-Lez along bicycle path.

Line 3

Trams with underwater livery operating on Line 3 at Gare Saint-Roch.

Line 3 was inaugurated on April 7, 2012 with a length of 19.8 km and 29 stations. The line runs from Juvignac in the west to Pérols-Etang de l'Or in the southeast. There is also a three-station branch from Boirargues to Lattes-Centre. The line is coloured green. The rolling stock consists on 19 43m Alstom Citadis trams.[1] This is a preview of the route:

Line 3 cost €530 million. Liveries of the trams on Line 3 were designed with an underwater theme by designer Christian Lacroix.[4]

An extension of the line to the Mediterranean coast at Carnon-Plage, or even as far as La Grande Motte, has been planned for years, but currently neither the route nor the funding has been secured for this plan.

Stations

Trams from Line 3 at Lattes Centre.

Line 4

Tram operating for Line 4 with golden sunshine livery.

In June 2009, plans for a fourth line were published. Line 4 was put into service on April 7, 2012. The line is an 8.4 km circular route and consists of 17 stations. It partially runs on parts of lines 1,2 and 3 from Saint-Denis to Place Albert 1er. It is expected to serve 14000 daily riders. 12 40m Alstom Citadis tram will ply the route.[1] The livery for Line 4 reflects the sunshine of the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The livery was inspired from old engravings, with a blaze of gold set off by pearls, stones and jewels forms the backdrop for a series of architectural motifs borrowed from the Château du Peyrou and the Three Graces fountain, two nearby monuments.[5]

Line 4 will make an effective loop around the city once its last segment, west of the medieval city core, L'Ecusson, is completed in July 2016.

Stations

Trams from Line 4 at Hôtel de Ville.
Trams from Line 4 at Georges Frêche Hôtel de ville station.

Line 5

Proposals for a fifth line were made in 2005, and the current project was officially presented in January 2009.

The route was determined in late 2012 after a public consultation: the 20.5 km long project was divided up into two phases, the first one consisting of a 15.5 km long light rail between Lavérune, West of Montpellier, and Clapiers, North of town. The second phase, consisting of a northward extension of the first phase towards Prades-le-Lez in the outer suburbs, is expected for 2020, but remains unfunded as of 2013. The initial cost for the new infrastructure was 350 million euros, with the majority of the funding coming from the Montpellier metropolitan authorities, complemented by subsidies from the State, the Region and the Département of Hérault. The public inquiry for the first phase took place in April–May 2013.

Construction was expected to begin in late 2013-early 2014, but the project is now on hold due to funding issues and protests along part of the route within the Parc Montcalm.

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Lines 3 and 4 take Montpellier tram network to 56 km". Railway Gazette International. 12 April 2012. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  2. ↑ "Bouygues selected to build Nîmes - Montpellier line". Railway Gazette International. Retrieved 2012-01-17.
  3. ↑ "La ligne 2, de Saint-Jean de Védas Centre à Jacou". Transport de L'Agglomeration de Montpellier.
  4. ↑ "Water tram brings a splash of colour". Railway Gazette International. 4 July 2011. Retrieved 2012-04-12.
  5. ↑ "Christian Lacroix has designed the livery for Montpellier’s new Citadis tramways".

External links

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