FRANCE: Transport authority Ile-de-France-Mobilités, operator RATP and Alstom have unveiled the first of the TW20 trams being supplied as part of a major programme to modernise and increase capacity on the busy T1 route across northern Paris.
The 17 km route through the capital’s suburbs from Noisy-le-Sec to Asnières-Quatre-Routes is currently operated using 35 Tramway Français Standard vehicles which were supplied for the opening of the city’s first modern light rail line in 1992.
Hakim Ben Chemsi, RATP’s head of operations for the line, told Metro Report International that these are intensively used, with the high-frequency service carrying 180 000 passengers/day and requiring 32 vehicles to be in traffic during the peak hours.
The TW20
In October 2021 Alstom was awarded a €130m contract to supply 37 trams for T1. They are from the manufacturer’s Citadis X05 family, and branded TW20 by RATP.
On October 4 the first six were presented on Villetaneuse depot on T8, where they are being delivered from Alstom’s La Rochelle plant because the T1 depot at Bobigny is being modernised. Testing is being carried out on both T1 and T8, although they will only operate on T1.
The trams are 32 m long, 2 400 mm wide and 3 421 mm high. They have a maximum speed of 70 km/h, although the limit on T1 is 60 km/h. The capacity of 200 passengers is 15% higher than the TFS trams, and they are low-floor throughout and have six large doors to improve accessibility.
IdFM’s Head of Design & Customer Experience Stéphane Roca said the specification includes lighting which adapts to the daylight and customised seats and handrails. Other features include CCTV, air-conditioning, USB sockets and 20 information screens arranged so that every passenger can see one.
Authorisation to for use is scheduled for November 26, with entry into serves planned for December 10.
Extension
IdFM plans to acquire a further 28 TW20 trams to support an extension of T1 from Noisy-le-Sec to Val-de-Fontenay which is to open in two stages in 2027 and 2029.
The extended line will be operated in two sections, T1a from Val-de-Fontenay to Bobigny and T1b from Bobigny to Asnières-Genneviliers-Les-Courtilles. In the longer term a T1c route is envisaged to run from Asnières to Rueil.
There will be 110 m long loops in Bobigny and Asnières able to hold three trams to enable the regulation of through-running services and allow a change of drivers.
