FRANCE: On July 12 Alstom announced an €45m order to supply Le Havre local authority CODAH with 20 Citadis cars for the city’s future tram network. Continuing the tradition of French cities specifying locally-themed styling, the Le Havre cars will feature 'flowing lines and architectural references' to integrate with the local environment.
Le Havre is building a 13 km Y-shaped tram network, centred on Place Jenner, with lines running west to Porte Océane through a new 600 m tram tunnel in the city centre, north to Grand Hameu and east to Caucriauville-Pré Fleuri. There will be 23 stops.
The estimated cost of the project is €395m, with contributions coming from the EU (2·7%), the French state (12·3%), the regions of Seine-Maritime (5·2%) and Haute-Normandie (2·8%). Local employers will contribute 17% via the transport tax, with the remaining 60% to be borrowed by CODAH.
Preparatory work has already commenced, and main works are expected to begin this autumn. The project is being supervised by a consortium led by Systra and including Ingérop, Attica, Ateliers Lion and Ateliers Osty.
The air-conditioned low-floor cars will be 32 m long with space for more than 200 passengers. Testing is scheduled to begin in July 2012, with the opening in December. The depot will be built near the western terminus at Grand Hameau in Octeville-sur-Mer.
