Promised for the start of the school year, the first short tram car has been extended. A launch is scheduled for August 28, followed by a new car every two weeks. The city’s mayor, Christian Estrosi, took the opportunity to detail the project.
They were eagerly awaited by the people of Nice, and now they are here. The short tram cars of line 1 have been extended. The first car was just assembled in the past few hours. The technical details and safety tests remain to be completed. This new car is set to enter service on August 28. After this start-up, an extended tram should appear every two weeks. The goal is eight additional cars by January 2026.
Less Saturation on the North-South Transport Axis
Christian Estrosi was present on Tuesday morning to witness the completion of the first extended tram. He expressed his happiness at the realization of this project. Meanwhile, the BHNS (Bus with High Level of Service) is being developed along Gambetta and Cessole boulevards. For the mayor, the two projects are connected. ” We offer 18,000 seats per day here for our users, the BHNS is gradually ramping up on the same (North-South) axis […] we will have nearly 40,000 additional user seats. ” A remarkable progression in just a few months for the city’s most saturated transports.
But why not simply create long trams, instead of reusing the short ones? Many people from Nice have wondered. The reason is primarily economic; reusing old trams allows for cost amortization more quickly. These changes are part of a comprehensive project for Nice’s transportation, also including the annual creation of new lines and park-and-ride facilities.
A Modern Tramway within the Old
For this work, the most challenging part was adding new cars to the old ones, which date back to 2006. The doors, air conditioning, and connectors had to be revised to integrate the first tram with current innovations. For Christophe Kaminski, deputy general director of Rรฉgie Ligne dโAzur, the key word is โadaptationโ: โEverything has evolved in eighteen years, so adaptation is necessary, looking at how we worked eighteen years ago, and finding compatible solutions.โ
Despite changes to the paint, users will see no difference between the old trams and the new ones. An essential change without making the people of Nice feel out of place.
