FRANCE: An afternoon of celebrations to mark the inauguration of the Le Havre tramway began at 12.12 on December 12. Travel is free until December 16.
The Y-shaped network is centred on Place Jenner, with lines running west to Porte Océane through a new 575 m tram tunnel in the city centre, north to Grand Hameu and east to Caucriauville-Pré Fleuri. There are 23 stops, intended to put a third of the city's population within a 5 min walk of a stop.
Alstom has supplied 20 Citadis 302 trams under a €45m order placed in July 2010. The styling incorporates 'flowing lines and architectural references' intended to integrate with the city environment. A total of 2 300 trees have been planted as part of the project, an overall gain of 500 trees.
The €395m project has received funding from the national government (12·3%), regions of Seine-Maritime (5·2%) and Haute-Normandie (2·8%) and the EU (2·7%). Local employers are contributing 17% via a transport tax, with the remaining 60% to be borrowed by local authority CODAH.
The project has being supervised by a consortium led by Systra and including Ingérop, Attica, Ateliers Lion and Ateliers Osty.
