The Île-de-France tramways (french: Tramways d'Île-de-France) consists of a network of modern

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 ...

lines in the

Île-de-France , timezone1 = CET , utc_offset1 = +01:00 , timezone1_DST = CEST , utc_offset1_DST = +02:00 , blank_name_sec1 = Gross regional product , blank_info_sec1 = Ranked 1st , bla ...

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 ...

. Eleven lines are currently operational (counting Lines 3a and 3b as separate lines), with extensions and additional lines in the planning and construction stage. Although the system mainly runs in the suburban regions of Paris, lines T3a and T3b run entirely within

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

city limits, and line T2 also does so for part of its route. While the lines operate independently of each other and are generally unconnected, some connections do exist: between lines T2 and T3a (at the Porte de Versailles station, since 2009), T3a and T3b (at the Porte de Vincennes station, since 2012), T1 and T5 (at the Marché de Saint-Denis station, since 2013), T1 and T8 (at the Saint-Denis train station, since 2014) and T8 and T11 Express (at two stations : Villetaneuse-Université and

Épinay-sur-Seine Épinay-sur-Seine (, literally ''Épinay on Seine'') is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. The church of Notre-Dame-des-Missions-du-cygne d'Enghien, designed by Paul Tournon, may be found ...

, since 2009). However, the final design of the entire planned tram network is fairly integrated. Almost all lines (Lines 4 & 11 Express being the sole exceptions) are operated by the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP), which also operates the

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the Paris, city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform ar ...

and most bus services in the Paris immediate area. Furthermore, while most lines use conventional steel-wheel rolling stock, two lines (T5 and T6) use rubber-tired trams. Moreover, line T4, which uses

tram-train A tram-train is a type of light rail vehicle that meets the standards of a light rail system (usually an urban street running tramway), but which also meets national mainline standards permitting operation alongside mainline trains. This all ...

technology, is operated by the French national rail operator

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

as part of its

Transilien Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail network serving Île-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of eight lines: Transilien Line H, H, Transilien Line J, J, Transilien Line ...

regional rail Regional rail, also known as local trains and stopping trains, are passenger rail services that operate between towns and cities. These trains operate with more stops over shorter distances than inter-city rail, but fewer stops and faster serv ...

network. Line T11 Express, which also uses tram-train technology, is operated by SNCF's subsubsidiary Transkeo.

History

Cormault 136 - PARIS - Panorama du Carrefour du Chatelet et la Seine

From 1855 to 1938, Paris was served by an extensive tramway network, predating the

by nearly a half-century. In 1925 the network had a length, with 122 lines. In the 1930s, the oil and automobile industry lobbies put pressure on the Paris Police Prefecture to remove tram tracks and make room for cars. The last of these first generation tram lines inside of Paris, that connected Porte de Saint-Cloud to

Porte de Vincennes The Porte de Vincennes () is one of the city gates of Paris (France) situated in the Bel Air neighborhood of the 12th arrondissement. Location The Porte de Vincennes is located where the northeast corner of the 12th arrondissement meets the ...

, was closed in 1937, and the last line in the entire Paris agglomeration, running between

Le Raincy Le Raincy () is a prestigious commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Le Raincy is a subprefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Le Raincy. Its populat ...

and

Montfermeil Montfermeil () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Montfermeil is famous as the location of Thénardiers' inn in ''Les Misérables''. It has made the headlines due to troubles in its soc ...

, ended its service on 14 August 1938. Originally horse-powered, Paris trams used

steam Steam is a substance containing water in the gas phase, and sometimes also an aerosol of liquid water droplets, or air. This may occur due to evaporation or due to boiling, where heat is applied until water reaches the enthalpy of vaporization ...

, as well as later pneumatic engines, then electricity. The funicular that operated in Belleville from 1891 to 1924 is sometimes erroneously thought of as a tramway, but was actually a cable car system. The first of the new generation of trams in Paris, the current Line T1, opened in 1992, with Line T2 opening in 1997 and Lines T3 and T4 in 2006. Lines T5 and T7, opened in 2013 while T6 and T8 opened in 2014. T11 opened in 2017, and T9 opened in 2021. While T10 is under construction joined by Lines T12 Express and T13 Express, the last parts of the former Grande Ceinture Line that are not covered by Line T11 Express.

Lines

T1 Entre Gare de Gennevilliers et Timbaud 4

T1

Line T1 currently connects

Asnières-sur-Seine Asnières-sur-Seine () is a Communes of France, commune in the Hauts-de-Seine Departments of France, department and Île-de-France Regions of France, region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometr ...

and

Gennevilliers Gennevilliers () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, in the Hauts-de-Seine department of Île-de-France. It is located from the centre of Paris. In 2017, it had a population of 46,907. History On 9 April 1929, one-fifth of the ...

Noisy-le-Sec Noisy-le-Sec () is a commune in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Population Heraldry Transport Noisy-le-Sec is served by Noisy-le-Sec station on Paris RER line E. Education Schools:< ...

, running almost parallel to the Paris city's northern limit. It opened in 1992 from Saint Denis's RER station to the Bobigny–Pablo Picasso

station, where is located the prefecture building of the

Seine-Saint-Denis () is a department of France located in the Grand Paris metropolis in the region. In French, it is often referred to colloquially as ' or ' ("ninety-three" or "nine three"), after its official administrative number, 93. Its prefecture is Bobigny ...

department. The extension from Bobigny to Noisy-le-Sec was completed in 2003. An extension west to

and

, connecting to western branch of

Paris Métro Line 13 Paris Métro Line 13 (opened as Line B; French: ''Ligne 13 du métro de Paris'') is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro. It was built by the Nord-Sud Company before becoming Line 13 when the Nord-Sud was merged into the Compagnie du ch ...

, opened in 2012; a continuation towards

Nanterre Nanterre (, ) is the prefecture of the Hauts-de-Seine department in the western suburbs of Paris. It is located some northwest of the centre of Paris. In 2018, the commune had a population of 96,807. The eastern part of Nanterre, bordering t ...

is planned. An eastwards extension to Montreuil and to the

Val de Fontenay The RER station Val de Fontenay is in the Paris suburb Fontenay-sous-Bois. It is on the Paris-Est–Mulhouse-Ville railway and provides an interchange between the RER lines A and E. In the future, Paris Metro Line 15, and extensions of Paris Me ...

RER station is also planned.

T2

Line T2 (''Trans Val-de-Seine'') connects the bridge of

Bezons Bezons () is a commune in the northwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. Population Transport An extension of the tramway line T2 to Pont de Bezons opened in 2012. With Bezons not served by any stations o ...

(Pont de Bezons) to the Porte de Versailles

station (near Paris's main exhibit grounds) via

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France, located west of the city limits of Paris. It is part of the Paris metropolitan area in the Île-de-France region, located in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in the communes of Courbevoie, ...

and

Issy-les-Moulineaux Issy-les-Moulineaux () is a commune in the southwestern suburban area of Paris, France, lying on the left bank of the river Seine. Its citizens are called ''Isséens'' in French. It is one of Paris' entrances and is located from Notre-Dame Cath ...

business districts. It opened in 1997 between

and Issy–Val de Seine station stations, mostly on a former

line, the Moulineaux Line (which closed in 1993). An extension south, from Issy–Val de Seine station to Porte de Versailles, opened in 2009, while the second extension, to the north this time, opened in 2012 from La Défense to Pont de Bezons.

T3a and T3b

Line T3 is the first modern tramway line to actually enter Paris itself. It is divided into two sections, called T3a and T3b, separated at the

stop in order not to cut the road traffic there, despite rail and electrical infrastructure being present and operational. The line is also known as the ''Tramway des Maréchaux'' because it follows the

Boulevards of the Marshals The Boulevards of the Marshals (french: link=no, Boulevards des Maréchaux) are a collection of thoroughfares that encircle the city of Paris, France, just inside its city limits. Most bear the name of a Marshal of the Empire, marshal of the Firs ...

, a series of boulevards that encircle Paris along the route of the former

Thiers Wall The Thiers wall (''Enceinte de Thiers'') was the last of the defensive walls of Paris. It was an enclosure constructed between 1841 and 1846 and was proposed by the French prime minister Adolphe Thiers but was actually implemented by his succe ...

, built from 1841 to 1844. The boulevards are, with three exceptions, named for

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

First Empire First Empire may refer to: * First British Empire, sometimes used to describe the British Empire between 1583 and 1783 * First Bulgarian Empire (680–1018) *First French Empire (1804–1814/1815) * First German Empire or "First Reich", sometimes u ...

marshals Marshal is a term used in several official titles in various branches of society. As marshals became trusted members of the courts of Medieval Europe, the title grew in reputation. During the last few centuries, it has been used for elevated o ...

(''maréchaux''). T3a connects the Pont du Garigliano–Hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou RER station in the western part of the 15th arrondissement with the

Métro station in the 12th arrondissement. T3b connects Porte de Vincennes with the

Porte de la Chapelle Porte may refer to: *Sublime Porte, the central government of the Ottoman empire *Porte, Piedmont, a municipality in the Piedmont region of Italy *John Cyril Porte, British/Irish aviator *Richie Porte, Australian professional cyclist who competes ...

Métro station in the

18th arrondissement The 18th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of Paris, the capital city of France. In spoken French, this arrondissement is referred to as ''dix-huitième''. The arrondis ...

, this with an extension to Porte d'Asnières ( 17th arrondissement), opened in 2018. The extension opened on 24 November 2018.

T4

Line T4 is an , 11-stop

line, operating in part on

lines, connecting the

Bondy Bondy () is a commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris, in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. In 2019, it had a population of 54,587. Name The name Bondy was recorded for the first time around ...

RER station with the

Aulnay-sous-Bois Aulnay-sous-Bois () is a commune in the Seine-Saint-Denis department in the Île-de-France region in the north-eastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Aulnaysiens'' o ...

RER station. It opened on 18 November 2006. Unlike the other tramways in Île-de-France, Line T4 is operated by the

. A new branch of this tram-train line, heading east towards

, opened in 2020.

T5

Tramway T5 is a Translohr tram-on-tyres running along a mainly segregated "track" on the busy Route Nationale 1 (similar to the systems in Nancy or

Caen Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000, serves 16 stops between Saint-Denis, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Sarcelles and Garges-lès-Gonesse. It has an interchange with T1 at its southerly terminus marché de Saint-Denis and with

RER D RER D is one of the five lines in the (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south, with all trains serving a group ...

at its northern terminus, the Garges-Sarcelles RER station. Line T5 opened in July 2013.

T6

Tramway Line 6 is a Translohr tram-on-tyres serving 21 stations, from the Châtillon–Montrouge Métro station (the southern terminus of

) to the Viroflay-Rive-Droite

station. The serving at the western (Viroflay) end, is in a tunnel crossing the town from south to north, including two stops, namely the two train stations the city has, Rive-Gauche (Line C and Line N) and Rive-Droite (Line L). The majority of the current line opened in 2014, with said tunnel section opening in 2016. It replaced bus line 295, that became too crowded and slow for proper use.

T7

Tramway Line 7 is an route serving 18 stations between Villejuif–Louis Aragon (southwestern terminus of

Paris Métro Line 7 Paris Métro Line 7 is one of sixteen lines of the Paris Métro system. Crossing the capital from its north-eastern to south-eastern sections via a moderately curved path, it links La Courneuve – 8 mai 1945 in the north with Mairie d'Ivry an ...

) and

Athis-Mons Athis-Mons () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Inhabitants are called ''Athégiens''. A small part of Orly International Airport lies on the territory of the commune of Athis-Mons ...

, via

Rungis International Market The Rungis International Market (french: Marché International de Rungis) is the principal market of Paris, mainly for food and horticultural products, located in the commune of Rungis, in the southern suburbs. It is the second largest wholesa ...

and

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (french: Aéroport de Paris-Orly), commonly referred to as Orly , is one of two international airports serving the French capital, Paris, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly an ...

. It opened in 2013 in order to both allow a supplemental rail service from Paris to Orly Airport and replace bus line 285, which had become overly crowded.

T8

Formerly known as ''Tram'y'' due to its opening-day ''Y-shape'', this line goes from the Saint-Denis–Porte de Paris Métro station to Épinay-sur-Seine—Orgemont, with a branch to the university campus of Villetaneuse, where it connects to the more recent T11 Express Line. An extension is also planned south, to Paris itself, at the

Rosa Parks Rosa Louise McCauley Parks (February 4, 1913 – October 24, 2005) was an American activist in the civil rights movement best known for her pivotal role in the Montgomery bus boycott. The United States Congress has honored her as "the ...

RER station. Construction of the line began in 2010; service began in 2014.

T9

T9 is a tram line that runs between the

Porte de Choisy The Quartier asiatique (Asian Quarter), also called Triangle de Choisy or Petite Asie (Chinese: 巴黎唐人街, Vietnamese: ''Phố Tàu Paris'') is the largest commercial and cultural center for the Asian community of Paris. It is located in t ...

Paris Métro station and the centre of

Orly Orly () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, Île-de-France. It is located from the center of Paris. The name of Orly came from Latin ''Aureliacum'', "the villa of Aurelius". Orly Airport partially lies on the territory of the comm ...

with a length of and 19 stops.

T11 Express

First "Express" tram line of the Parisian network — due to reusing the long-closed Grande Ceinture, with only a handful of stations — Line T11 Express serving as the first of three lines to cover the former Grande Ceinture rail line and offering eventually a second circular railroad service around Paris, something the Paris public transport system sorely lacked for many years. Line T11 Express opened in 2017 between the

RER station and

Le Bourget Le Bourget () is a Communes of France, commune in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the Kilometre zero#France, center of Paris. The commune features Paris - Le Bourget Airport, Le Bourget Airport, which in turn hos ...

RER station, the middle part of its expected full route between

Sartrouville Sartrouville () is a commune in the Yvelines department, Île-de-France, north central France. it is located in the north-western suburbs of Paris, from the center of Paris. Name In the Middle Ages the name Sartrouville was recorded in Medieva ...

and

RER stations.

T13 Express

T13 Express is a tram-train line between

Saint-Germain-en-Laye station Saint-Germain-en-Laye is the main railway station serving Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France. The station opened on 14 August 1847 with the opening of the ''ligne de Saint Germain'' (from Paris to Saint-Germain), an atmospheric railway An atmosph ...

(

RER A RER A is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from east to west, with all t ...

) and Saint-Cyr station (

RER C RER C is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from north to south. The li ...

and Transilien lines N and U) with a length of and 11 stops. It opened on 6 July 2022.

Future lines

T10

T10 is a tram line currently under construction from Antony to

Clamart Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris. The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urbaniz ...

in the southwestern suburbs of Paris with a length of and 14 stops.

T12 Express

T12 Express is a tram-train line currently under construction between

Évry-Courcouronnes Évry-Courcouronnes () is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France, prefecture of the department of Essonne. It was established on 1 January 2019 from the amalgamation of the communes of Évry and Courcouronnes. The city is the home ...

station (

) and

Massy-Palaiseau station Massy-Palaiseau station (French: ''Gare de Massy-Palaiseau'') is an RER station, in the city of Massy, with a junction of the RER B (B4 section) and RER C (C2 and C8 sections). Also, Paris Metro Line 18 of Grand Paris Express will stop here in the ...

(

RER B RER B is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its Île-de-France suburbs. The RER B line crosses the region from no ...

and C) via Épinay-sur-Orge station (

), with a length of and 16 stops.

Tvm

The ''

Trans-Val-de-Marne The Trans-Val-de-Marne, often abbreviated as Tvm, is a bus rapid transit (BRT) line operated by the RATP Group as part of the RATP bus network in the Paris metropolitan area. The line entered service on 1 October 1993, running almost entirely in ...

'' bus line, which runs in a designated BRT corridor (bus rapid transit) and is intended to provide high-capacity, rapid transit southeast of Paris in the

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

Val-de-Marne Val-de-Marne (, "Vale of the Marne") is a department of France located in the Île-de-France region. Named after the river Marne, it is situated in the Grand Paris metropolis to the southeast of the City of Paris. In 2019, Val-de-Marne had a pop ...

, is operated by RATP unlike most suburban bus lines. Despite beginning with a T, it is not a tramway. The RATP however considers it to be part of the T network, and is currently drawing plans for more

BRT BRT may refer to: Transportation * Block register territory, a method for dispatching trains * British Rail Telecommunications * Brookhaven Rail Terminal * Brooklyn Rapid Transit Company, a former transit holding company in New York City * Bro ...

lines. The Tvm has been certified to be BRT with Silver Excellence in 2014.

Network Map

References

External links

Official RATP websiteOfficial SNCF Transilien websiteComprehensive map of the Paris tram network including track layouts
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tramways in Ile-de-France Ile-de-France Rail transport in Île-de-France Rail transport in Paris RATP Group Ile-de-France Articles containing video clips