The Tramway pierces a canvas where a photo of its old ancestor was depicted. Confetti flies. All accompanied by music. It is 11 a.m. The Nice Tramway is inaugurated. At this moment, the azure capital has taken on a new face. “The Tram is yours.” Nothing to add to the slogan displayed on the official platform. “It is the starting point of the citizens of Nice reclaiming all the public spaces taken away in the past fifty years by traffic. It’s the symbol of a renaissance,” adds Jacques Peyrat, Senator Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Urban Community (CANCA). In his speech, he boasts of having the idea since 1995 and his election: “It took courage and determination. Who dares wins!” Superlatives then follow to describe the day by Patrick Allemand, Vice President of the Regional Council: “A great day,” “turning point,” “founding act.” Christian Estrosi, President of the General Council of Alpes-Maritimes, congratulates himself on being a part of this event in Nice: “History’s course made it so that it is us on this platform.”
The speeches of the three contenders for the Mayorship of Nice in 2008, to which one can add Patrick Mottard, present at the foot of the platform and for whom Jacques Peyrat mentioned in his speech, were just a transition to what the citizens of Nice were waiting for: getting on the tram. From 2 p.m., they crowded inside the carriages. Many decided to complete the entire route. The stations were packed. The planned activities did not serve as boarding rooms to wait after all. Some jostling inside the “trambalan,” a few irritations but very concise compared to the curiosity of most of the first users… The opening of the doors is analyzed. It is surprising that one is not forced to enter only from the front. The crowding is compared to the strike periods in Paris filling up the metro and RER. The messages from Ben written on the stops amuse people. Saturday, November 24, was a day of discovery. In a few months, surprises will have turned into routine. The Tramway will have become part of the daily life of the people of Nice.
More images from our colleagues at France3 Méditerranée can be found here.
Jacques Peyrat: “Christian Estrosi allowed himself to give me advice. It’s up to me to give him some.”
Observers paid close attention to the speeches, the glances, the gestures of the three candidates for the Mayorship of Nice. Jacques Peyrat, Patrick Allemand, and Christian Estrosi cleverly slipped in allusions. They spoke of the future, talked about their projects. Even a non-candidate could have done it. The crowd was monitored. Students were seen holding a banner of protest. Peyrat’s name was heard chanted and the applause grew louder preceding Christian Estrosi’s first words. A little later, Jacques Peyrat went to the maintenance center where a small buffet was reserved for his guests. He shook hands continuously. The guests kept congratulating him. It was on this occasion, a couple of hours after the official inauguration, that Jacques Peyrat agreed to answer Nice-Premium’s questions.
NP: Today you are a happy mayor. What’s happening inside?
Jacques Peyrat: It’s much stronger inside, an immense happiness. I decided all alone 13 years ago. I was abandoned by my deputies, my municipal councilors. The civil servants followed me. I felt alone all the time until the engineers and architects joined me, we traced a line, decided the depot’s location.
NP: Is there a sense of revenge?
JP: No. Today, the tramway runs. Alstom, which I went to seek, built a gem. It brings something to the city. (He resumes a phrase a guest said to describe the works and the project). Note it. This phrase is very good: They knew it was impossible, so they did it. It was a crazy gamble to do all this work in this small city.
NP: Will you be watching the residents of Nice using the tramway on Monday morning?
JP: I already do. I just went to the control room. The tramway is already working very well. It is overloaded.
NP: Finally, the three speakers during the official speeches are candidates in the Nice municipal elections. Has the campaign taken precedence over the inauguration?
JP: No, except for Mr. Estrosi, who allowed himself to give me advice… It’s up to me to give him some!
