The Montpellier tramway (french: Tramway de Montpellier) is a four-line
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
way system in the city of
Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
in
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occità nia ; ca, Occità nia ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
(TAM) authority.
Following the closure of the original tramway in 1949, the network was planned and commissioned starting in the 1990s. The first line opened in July 2000, followed by the second in December 2006. Lines 3 and 4 simultaneously began operations in April 2012, along with an extension of line 1 and a diversion of line 2. The western section of Line 4 opened in July 2016, thus completing the loop it makes around the city. In total, the four lines constitute of track.
The development of the network continues, with extensions of Line 1 to the Montpellier Sud de France
TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
Mediterranean
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the e ...
seashore, and finally the construction of a fifth tram line linking the northwest of the metropolis to its southwest all being under study.
. Depending on the route, they ran every 30 minutes or every hour. This local transport network was eventually abandoned because of poor maintenance of the tracks and poor care of the horses.
Later, an electric tram network was created. The first meter-gauge tram lines went into operation in November 1897, and more followed in early 1898. They opened up the area of ​​Montpellier and again the neighboring municipality of Castelnau-le-Lez with frequencies of every 7.5 to 15 minutes. The
was the main junction of five tram lines. Other transfer points were the Gare Saint Roch train station and the square in front of the Saint-Denis church. The net length was 12 kilometers. Due to emerging competition from the automobile and in particular because of the creation of a bus network, the Montpellier tramway was shut down on January 31, 1949.
After expressing its interest in the experimental
project (which later contributed to the development of the
Meteor
A meteoroid () is a small rocky or metallic body in outer space.
Meteoroids are defined as objects significantly smaller than asteroids, ranging in size from grains to objects up to a meter wide. Objects smaller than this are classified as micr ...
and
VAL
Val may refer to: Val-a
Film
* ''Val'' (film), an American documentary about Val Kilmer, directed by Leo Scott and Ting Poo
Military equipment
* Aichi D3A, a Japanese World War II dive bomber codenamed "Val" by the Allies
* AS Val, a Sov ...
transportation projects) during the 1980s, the administration of mayor Georges Frêche proposed the re-creation of a network of three tram lines in the district of Montpellier. The debates then focused on the choice of rolling stock and the route of the first line. One of the main members of the right-wing opposition to the municipal council of Montpellier, Bruno Barthez, militated in favor of a tram on tires, following the example of the
guided bus
Guided buses are buses capable of being steered by external means, usually on a dedicated track or roll way that excludes other traffic, permitting the maintenance of schedules even during rush hours. Unlike trolleybuses or rubber-tired tra ...
Stade de la Mosson
The Stade de la Mosson () is a football stadium in Montpellier, France. It is the home of Ligue 1 club Montpellier HSC, and has a capacity of 32,900. Formerly a 16,000-seater stadium, it was entirely rebuilt in 1998 to host 6 games of the 1998 ...
to Mosson to connect with the newly opened Line 3.
For the line, stations, station platforms, and urban improvements were done by architect
Antoine Garcia-Diaz
Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin.
The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...
. The livery of trams on Line 1 was decorated in blue with white
swallow
The swallows, martins, and saw-wings, or Hirundinidae, are a family of passerine songbirds found around the world on all continents, including occasionally in Antarctica. Highly adapted to aerial feeding, they have a distinctive appearance. The ...
s by stylists
Élisabeth Garouste
Élisabeth Garouste (born 17 July 1946) is a French interior designer.
The daughter of Russian immigrants Salomon and Blima Rochline, she was born Élisabeth Catherine Rochline in Paris, was educated at the and studied interior design at the Éc ...
and
Mattia Bonetti
Mattia Bonetti (born 1952) is a Paris-based artist and designer. Bonetti was born in Lugano, Switzerland, and studied textile design at the Centro Scolastico per l’Industria Artistica. Bonetti moved from Switzerland to Paris, where he now lives a ...
. 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
, which is located between the Saint-Paul station and the Hauts de Massane station. The rolling stock comprises 30 Alstom Citadis 401 trams and 3 Citadis 402 trams.
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 2 May 2007. The three trams are numbered from 2031 to 2033. All trams on Line 1 have a width of 2.65 m.
Corum Corum may refer to:
People
* Gene Corum (1921-2010), American football coach
* James Corum, American military historian
* Lora L. Corum (1899-1949), American racecar driver
Places
* Çorum, city in Turkey; capital of Çorum Province
* Çorum Pr ...
Antigone
In Greek mythology, Antigone ( ; Ancient Greek: Ἀντιγόνη) is the daughter of Oedipus and either his mother Jocasta or, in another variation of the myth, Euryganeia. She is a sister of Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene.Roman, L., & Roma ...
There are plans for further extension of Line 1 in the future:
* An extension east from Odysseum, connecting to high-speed trains on the
Contournement Nîmes – Montpellier
The Contournement Nîmes – Montpellier (English: "Nîmes – Montpellier Bypass"), also known as the LGV Nîmes–Montpellier (French: LGV for ''ligne à grande vitesse''), is a French high-speed railway line, bypassing the cities of Nîmes an ...
.
Line 2
Line 2 opened for service on 16 December 2006. It is the longest tram line in France, with a length of 17.5 km and with 28 stations. The line is coloured orange. The Victoire 2 station opened 16 April 2007, being the 33rd station on the line. The line travels between
Antoine Garcia-Diaz
Antoine is a French given name (from the Latin ''Antonius'' meaning 'highly praise-worthy') that is a variant of Danton, Titouan, D'Anton and Antonin.
The name is used in France, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, West Greenland, Haiti, French Guiana ...
. The livery of trams on Line 2 is decorated in orange with flowers by
Mattia Bonetti
Mattia Bonetti (born 1952) is a Paris-based artist and designer. Bonetti was born in Lugano, Switzerland, and studied textile design at the Centro Scolastico per l’Industria Artistica. Bonetti moved from Switzerland to Paris, where he now lives a ...
. 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
*Jacou (interchange with a suburban bus route to the northeast)
*Georges Pompidou (interchange with suburban and departmental bus routes to the northeast)
*Via Domitia
*Aube Rouge
*Notre-Dame-de-Sablassou (partial terminus; interchange with bus routes to the northeast of the Agglomeration and the east of the Department of
Alstom Citadis
The Alstom Citadis is a family of low-floor trams and light rail vehicles built by Alstom. , over 2,300 Citadis trams have been sold and 1,800 tramways are in revenue service throughout the world, with operations in all six inhabited continents ...
trams.
The route is as follows:
*The line starts in
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean Basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Western and Southern Europe and Anatolia, on the south by North Africa, and on the ea ...
.
Lines 3 and 4 cost €530 million. Liveries of the trams on Line 3 were designed with an underwater theme by designer
Christian Lacroix
Christian Marie Marc Lacroix (; born 16 May 1951) is a French fashion designer. The name may also refer to the company he founded.
Lacroix's designs combine luxury and insouciance. He prefers artisanal trades, fringe, bead, and embroidery. He's ...
.
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.
*Pilory
*Hotel du Departement
*Pergola
*Tonnelles
*Jules Guesde
*Astruc
*Les Arceaux
*Plan Cabane
*Saint Denis
*Observatoire (interchange with Line 4)
* Gare Saint-Roch (interchange with Line 1, Line 2 and Line 4, bus routes, Airport Bus and
In June 2009, plans for a fourth line were published. Line 4 was put into service on 7 April 2012 but the 9.2 km circular route was only completed in July 2016 with the inauguration of a new section between Louis Blanc and Observatoire. It consists of 18 stations. It partially runs on parts of lines 1 and 2. It is expected to serve 14000 daily riders. 12 40m Alstom Citadis tram ply the route. The livery for Line 4 reflects the sunshine of the
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.
Line 4 makes an effective loop around the city since its last segment, at the west of the medieval city center (''L'Écusson''), is operational on 1 July 2016.
Stations
*Garcia Lorca
*Restanque
*Saint-Martin
*Nouveau Saint-Roch (interchange with Line 2)
*Rondelet (interchange with Line 2)
* Gare Saint-Roch (interchange with Line 1, Line 2 and Line 3, bus routes, Airport Bus and
Corum Corum may refer to:
People
* Gene Corum (1921-2010), American football coach
* James Corum, American military historian
* Lora L. Corum (1899-1949), American racecar driver
Places
* Çorum, city in Turkey; capital of Çorum Province
* Çorum Pr ...
(interchange with Line 1 and 2)
*Les Aubes
*Pompignane
*Place de l'Europe (interchange with Line 1)
*Rives du Lez (interchange with Line 1 and 3)
*Georges Frêche-Hôtel de Ville
*La Rauze
*Garcia Lorca
Philippe Saurel
Philippe Saurel (born 17 December 1957) is a French politician, mayor of Montpellier between 2014 and 2020.
Political Accomplishments
Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Montpellier University Hospital since December 2014. He was elected Mayor o ...
announced that the project is envisaged for 2025 with a shorter and cheaper route. Works started on April 15, 2019.
See also
*
Trams in France
Trams in France date from 1837 when a 15 km steam tram line connected Montrond-les-Bains and Montbrison in the Loire. With the development of electric trams at the end of the 19th century, networks proliferated in French cities over a perio ...