Lyon tramway


The Lyon tramway comprises seven lines, six lines operated by TCL and one by Rhônexpress in the city of Lyon in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France. The original tramway network in Lyon was developed in 1879, and the modern network was built in 2001.
Lines T1 and T2 opened in 2001; T3 opened at the end of 2006; line T4 opened in 2009; line Rhônexpress opened in 2010; line T5 opened in 2012 and line T6 opened in November 2019. The tramway system complements the Lyon Metro and forms an integral part of the public transportation system in Lyon. The network of 6 tram lines operated by TCL runs ; the single line operated by Rhônexpress runs for . The network is currently served by 73 Alstom Citadis 302 and 19 Alstom Citadis 402 trams.
Line T1 extends from Debourg to IUT Feyssine via Perrache, Gare Part-Dieu - Vivier Merle and Charpennes. Line T2 runs from Perrache to Saint-Priest - Bel-Air via Jean Macé, Grange Blanche and Porte des Alpes. Line T3 goes from Gare Part-Dieu - Villette to Meyzieu Z.I./Meyzieu Les Panettes via Vaulx-en-Velin - La Soie. Line T4 runs from La Doua to Hôpital Feyzin Vénissieux via Charpennes, Gare Part Dieu - Villette, Jet d'Eau and Gare de Vénissieux. Line T5 runs from Grange Blanche to Parc du Chêne or Eurexpo, the expositions days via Bron. Line T6 opened in November 2019 from Debourg to Hôpitaux Est - Pinel via Beauvisage - CISL, Mermoz - Pinel and Desgenettes.

History: the original network (1879 - 1957)

The first steam-driven tram line, the number 12, linked Lyon and Vénissieux in 1888. The network was electrified between 1893 and 1899. Extensions to the suburbs were built until 1914. This was the height of the network - high quality service, low price, high frequency and high profitability for shareholders. The inflation between World War I and World War II made the network unprofitable. Beginning in the 1930s, tramways were progressively replaced with trolleybuses and later buses. A modernization plan, including underground sections in the city centre, planned in the 1940s was rapidly abandoned. The last urban tram ran on line 4 in January 1956 and the last suburban tram, the "Train bleu" in Neuville-sur-Saône, was abandoned in June 1957.

Original OTL network

The first tram network was built and operated by the Compagnie des Omnibus et tramways de Lyon, founded in 1879. It consisted of ten , horse-drawn lines with a total length of 44 km serving Lyon, Villeurbanne, La Mulatière et Oullins.
In 1894, new electric trams were in service with these lines:
The first line to open was line 5, from Place Bellecour to Vaise along the Saône river, competing with riverboats. Lines 1 and 7 followed the approximate routes of the current metro lines D and A, respectively. The network was gradually extended, by the OTL and by acquisitions of competing operators, between 1894 and 1914.

OTL extensions

lines to the northwest, acquired by the OTL in 1894.
, steam powered lines on the left bank of the Rhône river. Became the Nouvelle Compagnie Lyonnaise des Tramways in 1902, then acquired by the OTL in 1906.
and Saint-Just funiculars and trams in the west plateau. Acquired by the OTL in 1910.
Acquired by the OTL in 1914. Originally metric gauge, converted to standard gauge in 1925.
This company reach Lyon in 1909.The meter gauge line leading to the east suburb was used on 6 km after being electrified in 1925.
Following a decline in the 1950s and 1960s, public transit in Lyon was revived in the 1970s with the opening of the Lyon Metro. In 1996 a decision was made to build a new tram network to complement the metro. The first two lines were opened on 2 January 2001: Line T1 from Perrache to IUT-Feyssine via Part-Dieu and Charpennes and Line T2 from Perrache to Porte des Alpes via Jean-Macé and Grange Blanche. Line T2 was extended to Saint-Priest on 27 October 2003 and Line T1 was extended to Montrochet on 15 September 2005, then again to Debourg on 19 February 2014. Line T3 was opened on December 4, 2006 along the former Chemin de Fer de l'Est Lyonnais tracks from Part-Dieu Villette to Meyzieu. Line T4 opened on 20 April 2009, running from Jet d'eau - Mendès France to Hôpital Feyzin - Vénissieux, and was extended to La Doua on 29 August 2013. Line T5 opened on 17 November 2012, running from Grange Blanche to Eurexpo.

Line T1

Operates from 04:40 to 00:35, maintained by the Centre de Maintenance de Saint-Priest - Porte des Alpes.
Operates from 04:55 to 00:34, maintained by the Centre de Maintenance de Saint-Priest - Porte des Alpes.
Operates from 04:32 to 00:06, maintained by the Centre de Maintenance de Meyzieu.
Codenamed "LEA", Line T3 runs along a portion of the former CFEL train line which extended from the Gare de l'Est de Lyon to Saint-Genix-d'Aoste.
Line T3, which is 14.6 km long, runs largely on ballasted railroad track. It takes 23 minutes to go from Gare Part-Dieu Villette to Meyzieu - ZI, and runs at a maximum speed of 70 km/h. 7 km run near residential areas and are equipped with a noise barrier.

Line T4

Operates from 04:39 to 00:45, maintained by the Centre de Maintenance de Saint-Priest - Porte des Alpes.
Operates from 05:00 to 00:00 between Grange Blanche and Parc du Chêne.
Continues from Parc du Chêne to Eurexpo Convention Centre on every exhibition day.
A projected extension to Chassieu, which would have added two new stations, Eurexpo 2 and René Cassin, was not approved by the public enquiry and has been postponed due to lack of support from local councillors.
Planning documents do however still include a future study of an extension to line T5 via Chassieu to meet line T3 close to the Groupama Stadium spur. This link is considered to be strategic by the owners of the Eurexpo conference centre, as it could enable direct travel from Eurexpo to Lyon Part-Dieu railway station and to the airport.

Line T6

Operates from 05:00 to 00:56, maintained by the Centre de Maintenance de Saint-Priest - Porte des Alpes.
Line T6 has been builded as an extension of line T1 from its terminus at Debourg to Lyon's eastern hospital complex. A subsequent extension to La Doua, the university campus in Villeurbanne, is also envisaged.

Rhônexpress

Rhônexpress is an express line which links Gare Part-Dieu Villette to Saint-Exupéry airport, with intermediate stops at Vaulx-en-Velin - La Soie and Meyzieu ZI. It only serves four stations. The route is served by 6 tram trains, constructed by Swiss builder Stadler Rail. Its route consists of the existing T3 tram line, which is built with passing tracks to allow express service, and an new track extension from Meyzieu ZI to the airport. Total length of track is needing approximately 30 minutes to go from Part-Dieu to the airport. Service runs from morning until last flight arrival, with departures every 15 minutes at peak times.
Work began on October 9, 2008 and was completed August 9, 2010. The Conseil général of the Rhône department franchised the operation rights for 30 years to Rhônexpress, a consortium including Vinci SA, Veolia Transport, Vossloh Infrastructure Service, Cegelec Centre Est and the Caisse des dépôts et consignations. Unlike the Lyon tramways, the Rhônexpress is not run by TCL. Stadler's Tangos are used as rolling stock.

Map

Rolling stock

The TCL fleet is composed of 73 articulated Alstom Citadis 302 trams built between 2000 and 2009. They have production numbers N°801 - 873. There are 27 articulated Alstom Citadis 402, used on T3 and T4 lines.
Six Stadler Tango trainsets are used for the Rhônexpress service.

Inline citations