JEAN-MARIE Bockel, Mayor of Mulhouse, took part in a ceremony on March 16 to weld one of the first rails on the city’s tram network. The event was staged at La Porte Jeune, site of the future interchange between the two lines of the planned 19·75 km network.
Work on the 8·75 km east-west route and the 11 km north-south line is set to continue rapidly so that opening of the first section can take place as planned in late 2005. This follows signature of a financing agreement last November that will see the European Investment Bank contribute up to €130m towards the €249m cost of the project.
With the government truncating the flow of funds for public transport schemes in the French regions, Bockel envisages lifting the 2% cap on contributions towards public transport from local employers to fund future work.
Tracklaying is being carried out for Mulhouse transport authority Sitram by AMEC-Spie.
- Bids for rolling stock for Line 2 of the guided transport network in Orléans have been recalled following a poor response to the initial call for tenders, which had specified guided buses. Revised specifications are being issued to allow suppliers to offer steel-wheeled vehicles.
