Nice tramway

The first tramway in Nice opened in 1879, was electrified in 1900, and was followed by a departmental network in 1906. The entire network was electrified in 1910. In the 1920s, the network had 11 lines, some of which were partially used for goods transport. However, the tram was criticised and was replaced by buses on some lines beginning in 1927. The last tramway in Nice ceased service on 10 January 1953.

A Nice tramway car at Place Massena

Part of the Nice tramway track is lined by grass.

Tram stop Cathédrale-Vieille Ville in the centre of Nice

Like many other French cities, Nice has major traffic problems, including the fact that most economic activities are concentrated in the centre. To overcome these problems, studies on the implementation of transit in dedicated lanes were conducted in 1987. The city of Nice began to implement dedicated bus lanes in 1997, and launched a study on the implementation of a tram line in 1998.

Trams were chosen because they appeared to be more reliable than buses, since they are not subject to the vagaries of traffic, but they are less expensive than a subway line. The tram was declared a public utility in 2003 and work began the same year; the line was placed in service on 24 November 2007 after several weeks of technical trials, even though construction was not fully completed.

In the months following the launch of the tram, there were between 65,000 and 70,000 passengers daily;[3] the number rose to 90,000 by January 2011.[4]

A Nice tramway car pulling into the depot.

Formerly called "Las Planas",[9] the north-western terminus of the tramway was renamed "Henri Sappia" in July, 2013. The Henri Sappia depot is situated at the northwestern terminus of the line in the neighbourhood of Le Rouret, where the Count of Falicon and the Marquis of Rouret once owned large villas and many farms dotted the land.

Above the tram terminus sport and cultural centres have been built. The plaza in front of the station has been raised and planted, with a fountain of water jets installed.

The Fontaine du Temple neighbourhood where the Comte de Falicon tram stop is built has been remodelled for the arrival of the tramway. The plaza has been repaved and will host an outdoor market.

Line 2 run for 11.3 km of which 3.2 km near the center are going to be underground. Starting at the port in the east and ending at Nice Côte d'Azur Airport and Nikaïa in the west, serving 20 stations in total. Ridership expectations are 140,000 passengers per day. Work began in the second half of 2014. A €270m contract for building the underground section was awarded in December 2013.[10] Service from CADAM to Magnan opened on June 30th 2018, service to the airport and Jean Médecin station opened as scheduled on 28 June 2019, and service on the complete line was opened in December 2019, the journey is about 26 minutes from Nice Airport to Port Lympia. [11] The total cost of the line is projected to be €770m of which the central government is contributing €52.8m.

Line 3 branch off Line 2 at the Interchange located at Gare de Nice-Saint-Augustin which add an additional 6 stations onto the network with its terminus being located at Saint-Isidore. Line 3 also serve the Allianz Riviera with journey times from the Stadium to the Port projected at being 36 Minutes [12]

An extension from the current Line 2 (T2) to Saint Laurent du Var and Cagnes-Sur-Mer has been proposed.

In addition, an extension of the original Line 1 (T1) from its current terminus at Hôpital Pasteur to the northern neighbourhood of L'Ariane is being considered.[13]