FRANCE: A three-line tram network was inaugurated in Caen on July 27. This replaces the city’s TVR guided bus routes, which closed at the end of 2017.
The 16·8 km network serves 36 stops and is operated with a fleet of 26 Citadis X05 trams supplied by Alstom under a €52m contract. The first tram arrived factory at the Fleury-sur-Orne depot from Alstom’s La Rochelle in October. The 33 m long vehicles have capacity for 210 passengers.
Tram services are operated by Keolis as part of the Twisto-branded local transport network. Services run every 10 min between 05.45 (07.45 on Sundays and public holidays) and 00.30.
With the inauguration of the tramway, the bus network is being reconfigured. A circular route is being introduced and the several others are being extended.
Keolis has operated the Twisto network since 2002, and its current contract runs for six years from the start of 2018. Keolis expects an increase in ridership of 19·5% across the whole network between the inauguration of the tramway and December 2023. In January 2018, Keolis introduced 630 hire bicycles including 400 e-bikes and a city centre shuttle operated with six electric vehicles.
