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By Jean-Pierre Vergez (about) (contact)OverviewFor a long time, the French city of Bordeaux had an extensive tramway network. The first horse tramway line opened May 4, 1880 between Place des Quinconces and Boulevard Jean Jaques Bosc. Electric tram service on the network began in February 1900, and a new company was incorporated: Compagnie Française des Tramways Électriques et des Omnibus de Bordeaux (TEOB), which eventually operated 25 different urban routes. In the suburbs, several different companies operated tram lines: Compagnie du tramway de Bordeaux-Bouscat au Vigean (BBV), incorporated May 14, 1892; Compagnie des tramways électriques Bordeaux-Pessac (TPB), incorporated January 16, 1897; and Compagnie du tramway de Bordeaux à Léognan, incorporated April 6, 1897. These companies formed Tramways Suburbains de Bordeaux (TSB) December 31, 1921. Their mainly metre-gauge lines were then rebuilt to standard gauge. On April 25, 1952, there was a new contract with Compagnie Générale Française de Transports et d'Entreprises (CGFTE) to operate the network. The municipality and the new company wanted to substitute buses for the trams, and the last of the tramway lines was closed in 1958 (lines 9 and 10 on March 1, 1958, and lines 7 and 8 on December 7, 1958). But, like in many other cities, traffic jams became prevalent in the 1970s and 1980s and the bus transit was not very efficient. Between 1984 and 1994, Bordeaux planned a VAL metro project (similar to those in the French cities of Lille and Toulouse, and at the Orly Airport in Paris), but, when Alain Juppé become the mayor of Bordeaux, he chose to rebuild tramway lines instead. Today the network is operated by TBC (Trams et Bus de la Communauté urbaine de Bordeaux) who assumed operation from CGFTE on July 3, 2004. TBC is a society owned by Connex Bordeaux, a subsidiary of Veolia Transports, who have an 8 year contract to operate the system. To date, three lines have been built:
Present total length of the network is 24.6km, but the second phase of the construction will nearly double the length to 43.3km. The second phase extensions will begin opening in 2007. The only extension yet to open from the Phase 2 construction program is Line B, Bassin à Flot to Claveau. A third phase of extensions is planned to open in 2012/2013: Ligne A, Mérignac-Centre to Mérignac les Pins; Ligne B, Claveau to Bordeaux nord, and Bougnard to Pessac l'Alouette; Ligne C, Les Aubiers to Bordeaux lac, and Bègles Terre neuve to Bègles Terre sud; and a new line D from Quinconces to Barrière du Médoc. Rolling StockThe tram vehicles are Alstom's "Citadis" standard vehicle used in many other cities in Europe. Bordeaux has two types: Type 302, 100% low floor vehicles with five articulated body sections; and Type 402, 100% low floor vehicles with seven articulated body sections. There are 14 Type 302 units and 56 Type 402 units. Part of the system uses a ground level power supply but the outer ends use standard catenary power lines. The Bordeaux trams are each dedicated to a particular town in the region, or a sister city somewhere in the world.
More InformationTravelers should visit the official web site for any updates to the fares and schedules as presented in this article. |
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