Yesterday, Patrick Allemand, a municipal councilor in the opposition, presented a study in his offices that shows that about 20 million euros are lacking to ensure the perfect operation of tram lines 2 and 3, as previously presented by Christian Estrosi, the mayor of Nice.
“The real situation is not as idyllic as the version presented by Mr. Estrosi,” exclaims Patrick Allemand. First, concerning the travel time. Christian Estrosi had announced a journey duration of 26 minutes between the port and the airport, with a tram every four minutes. But checks by the group “Un Autre Avenir pour Nice” contradict the statements of the Nice mayor.
Currently, departing from Jean Mรฉdecin, there are a total of 11 trams at a frequency of 6 minutes each. Whether they go to Terminal 2 of the airport or to the Administrative Center, the calculation has been made: “between 9:01 and 10:03, the travel time of the 11 trams varied between 24 and 29 minutes, with an average of 27 minutes,” states Patrick Allemand. These initial findings already show that it will be impossible to make the port-airport journey in 26 minutes, as there are still two stations to serve before the Port Lympia terminus (approximately 5 more minutes). This extends the journey to 32 minutes and not 26, as Mr. Estrosi announced.
There is also a frequency issue, which will require increasing the number of trams. The current frequency is one tram every 6 minutes (it will change to one tram every 4 minutes in September 2019). But there lies the problem. To complete a full round trip, a tram takes 66 minutes (66/6, hence 11 trams needed). The numbers are correct up to this point.
But if you add the 5 minutes between Jean Mรฉdecin and Port Lympia and vice versa, the revolution time (time for a tram to make two departures) will increase to 76 minutes (10 min. more). With the given frequency of one tram every 4 minutes, it will require: 76/4, hence 19 trams necessary, while the city has only 16 in operation. “These 16 trams will not be enough for the frequency planned for the school term,” he states. Therefore, at least 3 additional trams will need to be put into operation on line 2, in addition to the 3 in reserve (21 in total just for line 2).
Line 3, put on hold?
According to the Metropolitan Authority, 7 trams are planned for the commissioning of line 3. But the Metropolitan Authority may choose to take the 3 necessary to ensure the proper functioning of line 2. That is the other problem; only 4 trams will remain for the operation and reserve of line 3. It will therefore be inoperable unless changes are made.
A tram story
Patrick Allemand states: “Achieving a perfect circulation of tram lines 2 and 3 requires further investment.” In the new term, the frequency will change to every 4 minutes. If it is not maintained, L2 will not be enough to relieve the entirety of bus users eliminated. Therefore, according to him: “at least 29 trams are needed for optimal operation” and not 26 as planned.
Moreover, the upcoming term’s situation might be unsolvable. More than the 32 minutes considered might be needed during peak hours to complete the journey. The round trip time will, therefore, exceed 76 minutes. The number of trams to maintain the L2’s 4-minute frequency will thus be 21 (+4 in reserve). Line 3 will need 7 trams. This totals 32 trams, which is 6 more than already ordered. “The purchase of these 6 trams amounts to 20 million euros,” explains Mr. Allemand. Pending the order of the 6 missing trams, he suggests: “either cannibalize L3 or forgo the removal of buses that pass through Prom’.”
