FRANCE: A Citadis Dualis tram-train left Alstom's Valenciennes site on January 4 destined for Nantes in the Loire region, where it will undergo extensive tests. A shuttle service between Nantes and Clisson is expected to start in September.
The tram-train had previously carried out initial test runs on the RFF network on a rural line in Bretagne.
It is the first of 31 Citadis Dualis units ordered by SNCF in May 2007; seven are for Loire and the remaining 24 for the Rhône-Alpes region.
In March 2009 SNCF placed a conditional order for another eight cars for the Loire, the first tranche of options for a further 169 included in the original contract.
