FRANCE: Tracklaying has begun on Strasbourg’s Tram Ouest project, and planning is under way for a northern expansion of the network.
A ceremony was held on August 26 to officially install the first rail for the 4 km double track Tram Ouest extension of Route F west from the current terminus at Comtes to Wolfisheim. The project includes with eight stops, 6 km of cycle paths and a redesign of the streetscape in the districts served.
Tram Ouest is intended to support urban development in the west of the greater Strasbourg area, serving 20 300 people and 7 100 jobs and proving a 30 min journey time from Wolfisheim to the city centre.
A 35% increase in ridership on Route F is expected after the extension opens at the end of 2025.
The €122m cost is being funded by Eurométropole de Strasbourg, the national government, transport project financing agency AFITF and operator CTS.
Services will be operated by 41 Alstom Citadis trams supplied in 2005 which are currently being refurbished by the manufacturer.
Tram Nord
Meanwhile, planning is underway for the Tram Nord extension to Schiltigheim in the city’s northern suburbs.
Opening is planned for 2027, with routes on the existing tram network to be reconfigured.
This will improve access between the city’s main railway station and institutions including the European Parliament.
New trams
In 2023 CTS awarded Alstom a €250m framework contract for the supply of at least 22 Citadis trams.
So far firm orders have been placed for 12, which will be 45 m long and 2 400 mm wide with eight doors per side and a capacity of 286 passengers.
Deliveries are scheduled start in March 2025 for entry into service by the end of the year.
This will enable the withdrawal of the oldest of Strasbourg’s distinctive ABB Eurotrams dating from the opening of the modern network’s first routes in 1994.
