Reims tramway

Reims tramway
Overview
Native name Tramway de Reims
Locale Reims, Champagne-Ardenne, France
Transit type Tram
Number of lines 2
Number of stations 23
Operation
Began operation 18 April 2011
Operator(s) Transdev Reims
Technical
System length 11 km (6.8 mi)
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge

Reims tramway (French: Tramway de Reims) is a tram system in the French city of Reims, which opened in April 2011. It travels north to south, through the city, along 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) of route.[1]

Operation and Routes

The route has 23 stops, with a further 2 planned for the future.

Two services run on the line :

  • A This 9.05 km, 21 station service runs from the Neuchâtel terminus in the northern Orgeval neighbourhood, to the southern terminus of Hôpital Debré, passing through the city centre, past the railway station and the cathedral. The trams run with 5 to 6 minutes frequency.[2]
  • B : This service follows nearly the same route as A, running from the Neuchâtel terminus, through the city centre. A short distance before the terminus of A, it turns 90 degrees and speeds up to reach the Champagne-Ardenne TGV station at Bezannes. The trams run with 5 to 6 minutes frequency.[2]

Rolling stock

The 18 trams used on the line are Alstom Citadis 302. They consist of 5 body sections and have capacity for 205 passengers, with 56 seated.

The line uses the APS third rail system for 1.9km around Reims Cathedral[1], minimising visual intrusion in the historic city centre[3]. This APS system, pioneered in Bordeaux, allows the trams to be powered by a ground level third rail instead of overhead power lines.[4]

The vehicle design evokes a Champagne flute, as Reims is the centre of the Champagne region. The livery is the work of famous designer Ruedi Baur and is based around the concept of colours. Each vehicle has its own pastel colour from a total selection of 8. The inside of the vehicles are coloured the same as the outside.[5]

History

Initial studies into the potential of a tramway began in 2003, as a consequence of an overcrowded bus network and the impacts this was having on the historic centre of Reims.[6]

In July 2006, financing, construction and management of the future line was delegated to a private concessionary consortium, called MARS (Mobility in the Agglomeration of ReimS). This €1.4 billion public private partnership was unique in France at the time. This consortium is composed of the vehicles' builder Alstom, the network operator Transdev, five roadwork enterprises and three pension funds.[7]

Construction of the tramway began in May 2008, with the first tram arriving in March 2010, which allowed for testing and commissioning of the line in September 2010.

The line opened on 16 April 2011, with a cost of €305m.[8]

See also

Bibliography

  • Local papers: Ville de Reims Information (official magazine of Ville de Reims), Reims Métropole Magazine (official magazine of the agglomeration), L'Hebdo du Vendredi (free private weekly), L'Union (private daily)
  • Documents of the public inquest
  • Connaissance du Rail (bimonthly specialized magazine), special tramways number of October - November 2007
  • Plus d'un siècle de transports en commun à Reims, Marcel Chenu & Michel Jailliard, 1990, ISBN 2-9505172-0-X

  1. 1 2 "Tram - CITURA". CITURA (in French). Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  2. 1 2 "CITURA - Reims tramway map" (PDF). citura.fr. CITURA - Le réseau des transports publics de l'agglomération de Reims. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
  3. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Reims and Angers choose APS". Metro Report. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  4. ↑ "APS - Ground-level power supply". www.alstom.com. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  5. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Pink champagne in Reims". Metro Report. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  6. ↑ "From the mag: How a small French city helped inspire Sydney's light rail transformation – Rail Express". www.railexpress.com.au. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  7. ↑ "Within a concession associating ALSTOM and Bouygues, the Reims Metropolitan Authority chooses an ALSTOM "APS" wire-free CITADIS tramway". www.alstom.com. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
  8. ↑ UK, DVV Media. "Colourful celebrations mark opening of Reims tram". Metro Report. Retrieved 2017-10-04.
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