Grenoble tramway

The tram Grenoble (French Tramway de Grenoble ) was the world's first operation in which only trams were used in low floor technology in the re- introduction in 1987. Today circulate in Grenoble on a 30 -kilometer standard gauge network of four lines. Already 1894-1952 was a meterspuriger operation with multiple, sometimes leading into the countryside routes in the largest city of the French Alps.

Grenoble's first trams

From the 1890s a run of several companies tram network to which several interurban trams, mostly single-track lines in street situation belonged, was in Grenoble. The meter gauge network was gradually decommissioned 1933-1952.

The most significant urban society was the Société de Tramways Grenobloise Électriques ( SGTE ), the distances in the city as well as several suburban railways operational. Among the suburban lines were the 5 km long, opened in 1897 connecting the south of Grenoble Eybens location. Also in 1897, a 12.5 km long line was opened by Varces, a short branch line branched off from the Pont- de -Claix after Claix. This line was extended twice for four kilometers and reached Vif 1907 and 1923 Les Saillants. 1900, the 14 km long route to Voreppe was put into operation, which followed the valley of the Isère downstream. 1930 operated the SGTE nine lines and had a route network of 88 kilometers in length. The fleet consisted of 58 motor coaches, two baggage railcars and 29 sidecar. The decommissioning of SGTE routes took place between 1938 and 1952.

1894 opened the Voies ferrées du Dauphiné (VFD) a 35 kilometer route that led to the south-east of Grenoble, situated above Gières and Vizille Le Bourg d'Oisans. From 1898, originated from Gières starting a good 13 kilometer long branch line that ran toward the Froges in the Isère valley to the northeast. The VFD electrified 1902-1909 its route network with the exception of the section between Vizille Le Bourg d'Oisans and that was always operated until its closure in 1946 with steam locomotives. Until 1948, the other sections of the VFD were converted to bus service. 1930 was the car park of the VFD from 18 railcars, 23 steam locomotives, three baggage railcars and 61 sidecar.

The Chemins de fer du Nord Economiques (CEN ) operating in the valley of the Isère from 1895, a 16 -kilometer suburban train to Veurey, north-west of Grenoble. This route was taken over by the electrifying 1902-1905 by the Municipal SGTE.

The Tramway à Grenoble Chapareillan (TGC ) had the 43- kilometer route through Saint- Ismier after Chapareille, the upstream was in the valley of the Isère Grenoble. In sections between December 1899 and March 1900 opened, dismissed the TGC as a special feature a double overhead cable on. At the intermediate station Montfort was following the still existing funicular funicular you Touvet that anband the 690 m higher, Saint- Hilaire. 1930 decreed the TGC has a fleet of eleven railcars, two baggage cars and 25 sidecar. As of March 1933 they began to switch the section of Le Touvet after Chapareillan to bus operation, the remainder of the line followed by 1 December 1947.

The Tramway Grenoble - Villard -de- Lans ( GVL ) was in the possession of the department of Isère, the operation was conducted by the Municipal SGTE. The GVL - track with a total length of 39 km led to the westernmost of Grenoble in the Vercors Mountains Villard -de- Lans. The path of the character is a "extraordinary [n ] panoramic train" awarded, was opened in sections between 1911 and July 1920. The section of Saint- Nizier to Villard -de- Lans was decommissioned in 1938, the remaining distance on 1 April 1949.

The road to the reintroduction of the tram

Following closure of the last tram 1952, the entire public transport in Grenoble was settled by buses. Since July 1947 operated on two lines trolleybuses.

In 1973, the department as well as 24 municipalities in the metropolitan area of ​​the Syndicat Mixte of Grenoble Transport en Commun ( SMTC ), a special purpose association, in whose hands is the planning authority for public transport. On January 1, 1975, no longer covered costs operating transport companies SGTE Société d' Économie by the newly Mixte transport de l' Agglomà Grenobloise ( SEMITAG ) a semi-public company within the Transdev Group was replaced. In the following years SEMITAG purchased new buses, set up new lines and compressed the traffic on the existing lines. In Eybens a new depot, which replaced the old depot from 1897 was. In 1977 the first four kilometers long bus lanes were opened. The Oberleitungsbusbetrieb was extended from two to six lines, also replaced 50 new trolley buses cars from the 1950s. Between 1973 and 1982 the number of passengers increased from 16.9 to 38.9 million if 16 percent of all trips were completed in the metropolitan area by public transport.

The increase in passenger numbers in particular, led to the main routes of the bus network congestion phenomena, so that in the late 1970s plans for the reintroduction of trams were taken. Already in the spring of 1975, Grenoble had agreed the only of the endorsed cities to build a tram, as the Secretary of State in the French Transport Ministry, Marcel Cavaille, several cities calling in writing to submit concepts to reintroduce a tram. 1981 had before it a concrete project design in Grenoble. In 1983, the city government through a referendum in which the tram project was an agreement of 53.1 percent with a turnout of 36.8 percent. Preparatory work started in 1983, the actual construction work started in March 1985.

Standard gauge tramway from 1987

After testing since January 1987 the first tram route Grenoble went gradually from August 1987. Grenoble, making it the second French city of Nantes, which resumed trams operating in the 1980s. Today the tram from Grenoble is considered crucial to the further development of the transport system tram. Grenoble was the first company in the world to completely put under pressure from disability organizations on low-floor trams and created barrier-free access to the tram. Model for other French cities had to make, the urban planning approach, not in trying to solve traffic problems with the reintroduction of the tram alone, but also a contribution to urban regeneration, in particular for revitalizing downtown. Such concepts have been taken up in other French cities and developed, especially in the tram opened in 1995 in Strasbourg.

Lines

After continuous expansion have been running since 2007, four tram lines on a route network of 30 kilometers:

• Line A was in August 1987 between Gares and the south of downtown located endpoint Grand Place in operation. The line crosses the center of Grenoble in some cases only seven meters wide streets; in a street was a 80 -meter-long, inserted into the existing building arcade for pedestrians. In the city the existing pedestrian zone was expanded, partially came marble slabs for Einpflasterung the track area to use. At the terminus Grand Place, located in a large shopping center, was a large area covered Umsteigeanlage about bus services. In the area of the main station of Grenoble, the route is a loop shape to place the tram stop as close to the station building. In September 1987 and January 1988, the line A of Gares in the location west of Grenoble community Fontaine was extended. Here, the Drac is crossed on its own, before the traffic bridge reserved. In Fontaine a new pedestrian zone was created. In the south the line A, between March 1996 and December has been extended in the suburban community Échirolles 1997. The almost four -kilometer-long, mostly designed as a green track route binds to the congress center Alpexpo and develops suburban areas with freestanding apartment blocks.
• The B line was opened in November 1990. Between Gares and Hubert Dubedout the downtown section of the line A will be used. A newly built four -kilometer route leaves the city in a north-easterly direction, crosses twice the Isere, binds to a clinic and then passes through the campus of the University of Grenoble. At the three-pronged station La Tronche Grand Sablon a Umsteigeanlage for bus services from the northeastern suburbs arose. At the western end of the line B was in November 1999 and in May 2001 in two sections by a 1.2 kilometer distance to the new terminus Cité Internationale in operation, under construction opened up an office district on the back of the main station. In April 2006 the extension from the university campus by 1.6 miles to the new terminus Plaine des Sports was. At the intermediate station Gare Gières Universités can be switched to the trains of the SNCF towards Chambéry.
• On 20 May 2006, the C line was put into operation. From the terminus in the town Seyssins the route runs north, bends in Seyssinet -Pariset to the east, crossing the Drac and then runs through the southern city center of Grenoble, along the stretch of road to the Grands Boulevards. This stretch of road previously served as a connection between two freeways and is frequented by 60,000 vehicles per day. An existing high road here was demolished in July 2004. The stop Chavant links the lines A and C; in the east includes the 7.7 km long new line behind the station Hector Berlioz to the existing range of line B to; the trains run on the line C to the university.
• On 6 October 2007, the line was D, referred to in the planning phase as well as line C ' in operation. Was rebuilt a 2.6 km long route that connects new residential areas south of the town of Saint -Martin- d'Hères. Trains on the D depart from the station Neyrpic -Belle Donne continue on the path of the line C and ending in Les taillées - Universités.

Operation

In the annual timetable 2008/2009 the line wrong A in the rush hour every three to four minutes a day, every five minutes. On the line B all three, every four minutes during the day trips are offered in the rush hour. Line C has a cycle time of four to six minutes in the rush hour and eight minutes during the day. Evening run these three lines every 12 and later every 20 minutes. Line D runs less often, in the rush hour all seven, the day every ten minutes. On Sundays, the cycle times as with French transport companies are usually much lower and vary from eleven minutes ( line A, in the afternoon ) and 30 minutes (line D). The lines A to C run about at least 5 clock up about 1 clock, the line D 6-21 clock.

Compared to other French street railway companies in travel speeds 17km / h for the lines A and B, and 18 km / h for the line C are rather low. Influence on the low speed of the lines A and B has the pedestrian zone in the city center, where the travel speed is 14 km / h. Compared with the previous bus journey times were reduced: Thus decreased with the commissioning of the line A journey times between downtown and Grand Place from 25 to 15 minutes and between Fontaine and downtown 22 to eleven minutes. The distances between stops is 450 meters (line A), 410 meters (line B) and 530 meters (line C). At the traffic signal streetcar generally has priority.

For the re- opening of the tramway in 1987, the existing depot Eybens was converted tramcar. Trolleybuses were located in Eybens, while for diesel buses, a new depot in Sassenage arose. In Eybens a wagon shed with 12 tracks for 29 trains, a car wash and the central workshop were initially available with four tracks. With the network expansion more storage space were created. The depot Eybens is connected via a 750 meter long operating distance of the Grand Place stop the A Line. A second depot was built by the extension of line B in April 2006 at the new terminus Plaine des Sports.

Rolling stock

For the 1987 line, opened A 20 railcars of type TFS 2 were obtained. The TFS 2 emerged as a low-platform development of the Tramway français standard (TFS ) of the French company Alstom, which has been used since 1985 at the Nantes tram and their use was initially planned in Grenoble. With a total length of 29.4 meters of 2.3 meter wide TFS offers 2 58 seating and 120 standing places. In the middle of the railcar is a 17.85 -meter-long section with a floor height of 34 inches above top of rail. Retractable kick flaps on the doors also allow passengers in wheelchairs to use the tram. Designed for Grenoble railcar is regarded as the first tram, which was strongly influenced by a designer. The TFS 2 proved itself in operation, disadvantageous was his conditional by the low-floor design higher weight, which led to higher energy consumption and increase the burden of the superstructure. Until 1997, Grenoble procured in four model series 53 type trains TFS 2

2003 ordered the SMTC also at Alstom 35 railcars of Citadis 402 that were delivered from 2005. The Citadis cars have 76 seats and 198 standing room at a length of 43.7 and a width of 2.4 meters. In November 2007 the SMTC ordering 12 additional Citadis trains announced. The railcars should provide with their higher capacity for a discharge on the A Line. This also adaptation work on the route as the extension of platforms were necessary.

Balance

By 2001 367 million euros were invested for the construction of the route network. For the 2006 and 2007 inaugurated routes other costs incurred in the amount of 360 million euros. The purchase price for the 53 TFS 2 railcars totaled 101 million euros; 35 Citadis trains hit with 90 million euros. Per kilometer incurred in the 1987-1997 cost routes opened from 23.8 to 31.7 million euros, which opened in 1985 compared to the tramway in Nantes high value is due to the great importance of design.

Important financing instrument is the Versement transport, a transport tax, which is levied on all employers with more than nine employees. Grenoble hereby draws the maximum rate of 1.75 % based on the total payroll. Initially took over the French state up to 50 % of investment costs; meanwhile the government subsidies are largely omitted.

1996 22.8 million passengers used the tram; 2001, there were 28.5 million, 33.8 million in 2005 and 40.9 million in 2010. For the entire public transport including bus operation ridership of 17 million than 34 million rose in 1970 in 1990 to 70 million in 2005. Reasons for the increase in the continuous network expansion and a general upward trend of public transport apply.

Further expansion

Grenoble plans to build a fifth tram line and the extension of existing routes:

• In 2014, the line B be extended at its west end of the Cité Internationale for the new terminus polygons Scientifique. The 1.5 -kilometer-long and likely 45 million Euro building route opens up the peninsula between the rivers Isère and Drac, are located on a number of research institutions.
• A fifth tram line to be built between 2011 and 2014. The line E is supposed to have its starting point at a stop line C in the southern city of Grenoble. From there, the city center is to be traversed in a northerly direction and then opened up the right of the Isère lying municipalities of Saint -Martin- le- Vinoux, Saint- Égrève and Fontanil -Cornillon. The 11.5 kilometer route 18 stops are provided; expected cost of 333 million euros. For the route a section of the A48 motorway to the national road N481 was graded.
• Other plans provide for the extension of line A at both ends. Thus, the Pont de Claix communities and Sassenage to get a tram connection, as it already existed at the time of meter-gauge operation.
• In addition, the line E should be extended at the location north-east of Grenoble Meylan community. The line D is to be expanded into a south of the center extending tangential line. The plan is an extension from the current endpoint Etienne grappa on Grand Place and Seyssins Fontaine.