A first in Nice: The tram crossed the Paillon on Monday, December 17, 2012. This advancement, both highly symbolic and technical, marks the final phase of the completion of the extension works on tram line 1.
A full-scale test to verify the track geometry led technicians to slowly move a 44-meter tram across the Paillon for the first time, reaching the future “Hรดpital Pasteur” station simultaneously.
Scheduled to open in the spring of 2013, the extension of line 1 stretches over 450 meters and features a new station, “Hรดpital Pasteur.” This extension will allow for the transport of nearly 5,000 additional passengers per day, totaling 105,000 passengers daily on the entire line 1 tram network.
The extension of line 1 from Pont Michel to Pasteur constitutes the first step in the realization of the tramway network planned by the global transportation scheme of the Metropolis by 2030.
And what about Ariane?
A better integration of Ariane into the City of Nice is a social, ecological, and economic necessity. The extension of line 1 is, thus, a priority to support and enhance the ongoing restructuring of the Ariane neighborhood and naturally integrate it into the fabric of Nice. A city congested by car traffic and heavily polluted, Nice must quickly be equipped with a tram network that is silent, non-polluting, and accessible to the less privileged.
The Mayor of Nice, truth be told, does not oppose this objective and announces it on the horizon of 2030. This, in reality, means an intention to sidestep the issue!
Two very simple reasons: The first is that, as economist J.M. Keynes aptly put it, “In the long run, we are all dead.”
The other is that, despite all the optimism in the world, it is not evident that Christian Estrosi will still be the Mayor of Nice by that time. Despite the self-confidence one should have, each of us also has an identity card with our date of birth!
