FRANCE: The cities of Dijon and Brest signed an agreement on November 27 covering the joint purchase of 53 trams at an estimated cost of €120m. Tenders are due to be issued to prospective suppliers by the end of 2008, with bid submission set for May and contract award expected between July and September 2009.
Brest is planning to buy 20 cars to operate an initial 14·3 km line with 27 stations, which has a projected ridership of 45 000 passengers/day. With a total budget of €298m, construction work is expected to start by the end of 2009, for a start of revenue service in mid-2012.
A competition to design the Brest vehicles was won by Eric Rhinn of Avant Première in Lyon and Dijon subsequently decided to adopt the same design.
Dijon needs 32 vehicles to carry a projected 90 000 passengers/day on its 20 km two-line network with around 36 stops. This is expected to cost €400m to build, and subject to planning approval it is envisaged that construction will start in 2010. Revenue operation is scheduled to begin in early 2013.
