Trams in Geneva
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The Geneva tramway network (french: Réseau tramway de Genève) is a
network Network, networking and networked may refer to: Science and technology * Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects * Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks Mathematics ...
of
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 ...
ways forming the core element of the
public transport Public transport (also known as public transportation, public transit, mass transit, or simply transit) is a system of transport for passengers by group travel systems available for use by the general public unlike private transport, typical ...
system in Geneva, Switzerland. It is operated by ''
Transports Publics Genevois Geneva Public Transport (french: Transports publics genevois, TPG) operates most of the public transportation system in canton of Geneva, Switzerland, including the city of Geneva. The agency's head office is in Grand-Lancy, Lancy. The TPG o ...
'' (TPG), and is supplemented by the Geneva trolleybus system and the Geneva bus system. Opened in 1862, the network had grown sufficiently by 1920 to serve large parts of the surrounding countryside. However, by 1960 it had contracted to just one line. Since 1995, it has been greatly expanded. It presently has five tram lines, and further expansions are planned. The network extends into France, with line 17 going to Annemasse.


History


Rise and fall (1862–1976)

Geneva's and Switzerland's first trams ran on 19 June 1862, with the opening of a
horsecar A horsecar, horse-drawn tram, horse-drawn streetcar (U.S.), or horse-drawn railway (historical), is an animal-powered (usually horse) tram or streetcar. Summary The horse-drawn tram (horsecar) was an early form of public rail transport, wh ...
tramway between ''Place Neuve'' and ''
Carouge Carouge () is a municipality in the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. History Carouge is first mentioned in the Early Middle Ages as ''Quadruvium'' and ''Quatruvio''. In 1248 it was mentioned as ''Carrogium'' while in the 14th Century it was kn ...
''. In 1889, a
steam tramway 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 ...
was opened, and in 1894 Geneva's first electric tram entered service. Finally, in 1899, the ''Compagnie Genevoise des Tramways Électriques'' (CGTE), predecessor of the TPG, was inaugurated. The CGTE set itself the goal of unifying the various systems. All lines were electrified and
converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...
to a uniform
metre gauge Metre-gauge railways are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of or 1 metre. The metre gauge is used in around of tracks around the world. It was used by European colonial powers, such as the French, British and German Empires. In Europe, la ...
. For nearly three months in 1904, the CGTE also operated the steepest
adhesion railway An adhesion railway relies on adhesion traction to move the train. Adhesion traction is the friction between the drive wheels and the steel rail. The term "adhesion railway" is used only when it is necessary to distinguish adhesion railways from ...
in Switzerland. The incline reached 11.8%, but the dangers posed by such steep inclines brought about the swift demise of this line. In the 1920s, the city and the canton had a large network of urban and suburban tramways. As of 1923, a total of of tramways had been built. The network extended into the countryside, and even across the border into France. In 1925, the CGTE began to convert its
interurban The Interurban (or radial railway in Europe and Canada) is a type of electric railway, with streetcar-like electric self-propelled rail cars which run within and between cities or towns. They were very prevalent in North America between 1900 a ...
lines to bus operation. This process continued in the city centre, where the lines were partly replaced by
trolleybus A trolleybus (also known as trolley bus, trolley coach, trackless trolley, trackless tramin the 1910s and 1920sJoyce, J.; King, J. S.; and Newman, A. G. (1986). ''British Trolleybus Systems'', pp. 9, 12. London: Ian Allan Publishing. .or troll ...
es. By 1969, the network had shrunk to just one long tramway, which was served by ''line 12'' (''Moillesulaz–Carouge''). The good technical condition of the tramcars and the fact that they had not yet been written off, led to the provisional retention of the last tramway. In the 1970s, concepts were developed to connect the relatively large suburban communities of
Meyrin Meyrin () is a municipality of the Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. The main site of CERN, the European particle physics research organisation, is in Meyrin. Meyrin was originally a small agricultural village until the 1950s, when construction of CE ...
and Onex to the remaining tramway once again, with an appropriately modern light railway. However, all of these ideas, and also the investments necessary for the maintenance of the remaining infrastructure in the medium term, exceeded the abilities of the privately owned CGTE. A popular initiative demanding the nationalization of the CGTE was then adopted, and on 1 January 1977 the CGTE was transformed into the TPG, an autonomous government agency of the canton of Geneva.


Renaissance (1977–1992)

In 1978, the tracks of the last remaining tramway were renewed under the auspices of the "new" TPG. Planning of the proposed new lines was addressed. However, it was only on 12 June 1988, with the adoption of a new cantonal law about public transport, that the first concrete building proposals were presented. From 1995, these proposals then became the basis of larger network extensions. By that time, the most pressing modernisation of existing operations had already occurred. In 1984, in ''Bachet-de-Pesay'' in the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of Lancy, construction work had begun on the new Bachet tram depot. To connect the new facility with the existing network, the route of ''line 12'' was extended on 27 September 1987 by one kilometre (0.6 mi) from ''Carouge'' to ''Bachet''. The sidings and maintenance facility in Bachet were opened in 1988, and in 1990 the associated tram and trackwork construction workshop was commissioned. Finally, in 1992, the new administration building was opened. Since then, it has been the headquarters of the TPG. In 1987–1989, the TPG procured a total of 45 new, partly
low floor Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments so as to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" (i. ...
, articulated trams, based on the prototype Be 4/6 tram no. 741, which had joined the TPG fleet in 1984. The new trams were supplied by ''
Ateliers de Constructions Mécaniques de Vevey Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey (ACMV) was a metal engineering company based in Vevey, Switzerland. Founded as ''Ateliers B. Roy & Cie.'' in 1848 by Benjamin Roy it became ''Ateliers de constructions mécaniques de Vevey SA'' in 189 ...
'' (ACMV) in
Villeneuve, Vaud Villeneuve () is a Municipalities of Switzerland, municipality of the Cantons of Switzerland, canton of Vaud in Switzerland, located in the district of Aigle (district), Aigle. As of December 2018, it had a population of 5771. Geography Villen ...
, in collaboration with Düwag and
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board ex ...
/ ABB. The colloquial expression "DAV", which is used to denote these vehicles, is an acronym for ''Düwag - Ateliers de Vevey''. Following this new procurement, TPG's existing fleet of old trams could be completely withdrawn, as future network expansion, including the introduction of new lines 13 and 16, had already been taken into account when the order for the new trams was placed.


Network expansion (1992–2006)

In 1988, a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
on the proposed new network expansion projects was unsuccessful. The first phase of development of the network therefore became the construction of a central '' Plainpalais–Carouge–Bachet–Palettes–
Acacias ''Acacia'', commonly known as the wattles or acacias, is a large genus of shrubs and trees in the subfamily Mimosoideae of the pea family Fabaceae. Initially, it comprised a group of plant species native to Africa and Australasia. The genus na ...
–Plainpalais'' ring link, and the crossing of the
Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
to the ''Genève-Cornavin'' railway station, with a continuation to the ''Place des Nations'' and
United Nations Office at Geneva The United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG, french: Office des Nations Unies à Genève) in Geneva, Switzerland, is one of the four major offices of the United Nations where numerous different UN agencies have a joint presence. The main UNOG ...
. On 28 May 1995, ''line 13'' (''Cornavin–Bachet'') was opened, and trams returned to the other side of the Rhône. On 28 June 1997, ''line 13'' was extended from ''Bachet'' to ''Palettes'' and on 28 March 1998, ''line 16'' (''Moillesulaz–Cornavin'') was put into operation. On 14 December 2003, ''line 13'' was extended from ''Cornavin'' to'' Nations''. The following year, on 11 December 2004, ''line 15'' entered service; it ran on a new route from ''Lancy-Pont-Rouge'' via ''Acacias'' to ''Plainpalais'', and continued from there via ''Cornavin'' station to ''Nations''. From 10 December 2005, this new section was also served by ''line 17'', which ran from ''Plainpalais'' to ''Eaux-Vives'' station. Due to the increased need for rolling stock resulting from the network expansions after 2000, more trams were procured. Initially, the TPG ordered 21 Flexity Outlook Cityrunners from
Bombardier Transportation Bombardier Transportation was a Canadian-German rolling stock and rail transport manufacturer, headquartered in Berlin, Germany. It was one of the world's largest companies in the rail vehicle and equipment manufacturing and servicing industry ...
for delivery in 2004-2005, with an option on another 17 vehicles; the option was exercised at the end of 2007. On 13 May 2006, upon the entry into service of a new section between ''Palettes'' and ''Lancy-Pont-Rouge'', the ring link was completed, and with it the first phase of the network's expansion. The new ring link section facilitated the extension of ''line 15'' and ''line 17'' to ''Palettes'' and ''Bachet'', respectively. From the day the ring link was completed, the four tram lines operating on it, ''lines 12, 13, 15 and 17'', no longer terminated there, but changed their numbers at designated
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: ''line 12'' became ''line 17'' at the ''Bachet'' stop, and ''line 13'' became ''line 15'' at the ''Palettes'' stop. In 2009, there was another alteration in the way the lines serviced the ring link: ''line 12'' began switching to ''line 15'' at the ''Palettes'' stop, ''line 13'' started to reverse at the ''Palettes'' loop and ''line 17'' was redirected to turn around at the ''Lancy-Pont-Rouge'' loop.


TCMC and TCOB construction (2007–2011)

The next network expansion phases included the ''Tram Cornavin–Meyrin–CERN'' (TCMC) project, the construction of which began in early 2006, and the ''Tram Cornavin–Onex–Bernex'' (TCOB), for which the Swiss Federal Council awarded the concession in January 2007. The first section of the TCMC, between ''Cornavin'' and ''Avanchet'', was opened on 8 December 2007. Initially, it formed part of the extended ''line 16'' (''Moillesulaz–Avanchet'') and the new ''line 14'' (''Bachet–Avanchet''). On same date, ''line 17'' was extended, from ''Eaux-Vives'' station to the disused ''Chêne-Bourg'' station, and thus revived scheduled services on the short local branch line, including its terminal loop, after a long absence. The first TCMC section was built in a double track configuration. However, the absence of any balloon loop at the provisional terminus at ''Avanchet'', or at the permanent termini at ''Meyrin–Gravière'' and ''CERN'', as well as the inclusion on this section of several stations with
island platform An island platform (also center platform, centre platform) is a station layout arrangement where a single platform is positioned between two tracks within a railway station, tram stop or transitway interchange. Island platforms are popular on ...
s, made necessary the exclusive use of bidirectional vehicles to run services on the section. As the numbers of the Flexity Outlook trams in the fleet were then rather limited, the TPG exercised its existing option for 17 more vehicles, while in the meantime the previous through-connection of ''line 12'' with ''line 16'' at the ''Moillesulaz'' terminus had to be suspended. According to various sources, the opening of the second stage of the TCMC (''Avanchet–Meyrin'') took place on 12 December 2009, with the entry into service of the section to ''Meyrin'' (''Gravière''). On 30 April 2011, operations commenced on the section to ''CERN''. The TCOB route to '' Bernex P+R'', which includes, amongst other things, a second crossing of the Rhône, went into service at the end of 2011. The first – very short – section of this route, between ''Coutance'' and ''Genève-Cornavin'' station, had already commenced operations at the timetable change in December 2010. A new ''line 18'' ran on the route, and was extended to ''CERN'' in May 2011. For the inauguration of the TCOB route, the TPG ordered 32 Tango trams, made by the Swiss company
Stadler Rail Stadler Rail is a Swiss manufacturer of railway rolling stock, with an emphasis on regional train multiple units and trams. It is also focused on niche products, such as being one of the last European manufacturers of rack railway rolling stock ...
. Like the Cityrunners, the Tango trams are bidirectional. After the new route to ''Bernex P+R'' was commissioned, the network was simplified. There are now only four tram lines, nos. ''12'', ''14'', ''15'' and ''18''. The use of the previous lines ''13'', ''16'' and ''17'' were discontinued, and only one line now operates on most section of track. Although these changes simplify tram operations, they also mean that points on the inner city sections, and in particular ''Genève-Cornavin'' station, can no longer be reached from all parts of the network (e.g. ''Genève-Cornavin'' is no longer directly served by ''line 12'') without the need to change trams en route.


Lines

Interchange station An interchange station or a transfer station is a train station for more than one railway route in a public transport system that allows passengers to change from one route to another, often without having to leave a station or pay an additional ...
s, which enable transfers between the lines, are located at the following stops: * ''Genève-Cornavin'' railway station * ''Genève, Bel-Air'' * ''Genève, Stand'' * ''Genève, Plainpalais''


Projects

Two cross-border extensions are planned, one towards Saint-Julien-en-Genevois via
Plan-les-Ouates Plan-les-Ouates () is a municipality of the canton of Geneva in Switzerland. History Plan-les-Ouates is first mentioned in 1537 as ''Plan-des-Vuattes''. In 1851 it became an independent municipality when the municipality of Compesières dissolv ...
, and the other an extension of line 17 towards Lycée des Glières in Annemasse. An extension of line 15 is proposed between Place des Nations and Le Grand-Saconnex, with a possible extension to Ferney-Voltaire in France. However, the realisation of this project would depend upon the construction of the new Route des Nations, a project the commencement of which is still uncertain.


Supercapacitor power supply

The TPG has tested a
supercapacitor A supercapacitor (SC), also called an ultracapacitor, is a high-capacity capacitor, with a capacitance value much higher than other capacitors but with lower voltage limits. It bridges the gap between electrolytic capacitors and rechargeable ba ...
power supply system on a Stadler Tango tram. If such a system were found to be successful, it could be applied to the other 31 Tango trams 'relatively easily'.


Fleet


Heritage motor cars

* Ce 4/4 66 (1901/1936) CGTE/
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, returned from AMITRAM (Lille), currently in restoration * Ce 4/4 67 (1901/1936) CGTE/
SAAS Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is cons ...
* Ce 4/4 70 (1901/1936) CGTE/
SAAS Software as a service (SaaS ) is a software licensing and delivery model in which software is licensed on a subscription basis and is centrally hosted. SaaS is also known as "on-demand software" and Web-based/Web-hosted software. SaaS is cons ...
, owned by Compagnie ferroviaire du Léman (CFDL), used as event tram * Ce 2/2 80 (1901) Herbrandt, on loan from AMTUIR (Paris), not operational * Ce 2/2 125 (1920)
SIG Sig used as a name may refer to: * Sig (given name) *Sig, Algeria, a city on the banks of the Sig River *Sig Alert, an alert for traffic congestion in California, named after Loyd Sigmon *Sig River, a river of Algeria also known as Mekerra sig (l ...
/SAAS, on loan from
Blonay–Chamby Museum Railway The Blonay–Chamby Museum Railway (french: Chemin de fer-musée Blonay-Chamby, BC) is a short steep but adhesion worked metre gauge heritage railway operated as part of the Blonay–Chamby Railway Museum using vintage steam and electric loco ...
(BC) * Ce 4/4 729 (1952) SWP/SAAS ()


Heritage trailer cars

* Bi 363 (1919) SIG * Bi 369 (1919) SIG, returned from AMTUIR (Paris), currently not operational * B 308 (1951) FFA * X 70, platform trailer, owned by Compagnie ferroviaire du Léman (CFDL) * X 603, snow plough, not operational * K 204 (1913) SWS, box car bought from BVB to be converted as a CGTE freight car, not operational


Current fleet


Network Map


See also

* List of town tramway systems in Switzerland *
Trolleybuses in Geneva The Geneva trolleybus system (french: Réseau trolleybus de Genève) forms part of the public transport network in Geneva, Switzerland. It is the second largest trolleybus system in Switzerland, after the Lausanne system. Opened in 1942, th ...


Notes


References


Inline references


Bibliography

* * * * *


External links


Association genevoise du musée des Tramways
– official site * * {{coord, 46, 12, 37, N, 6, 8, 36, E, region:CH-GE_type:railwaystation_source:googlemaps, display=title
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
Transport in Geneva Tourist attractions in Geneva Geneva, Trams in 600 V DC railway electrification 1862 establishments in Switzerland
Geneva Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
Cross-border rapid transit