Bordeaux tramway

Original tramway The first public transport service in Bordeaux was a horse-drawn omnibus, introduced in 1830. In 1880, the first horse-drawn tramway was introduced, and eventually 752 horses were used to pull 71 cars. The horse-drawn tramway was limited to the city of Bordeaux and, as a consequence, the first electric tramway was introduced in the neighbouring suburbs in 1890. The city's horse-drawn trams were replaced by electric trams in 1900. In 1920, the various tramways were unified, allowing expansion of the system. The opening of the first section of line A was followed by that of lines B and C, on 24 April 2004. At that stage line B ran from Quinconces to Saint-Nicolas, whilst line C whilst line C ran from Quinconces to Gare St-Jean. On 3 July 2004, line B was extended from Saint-Nicolas to Bougnard. In September 2005, line A was extended from Mériadeck to Saint-Augustin. • On 27 February 2007, line A was extended from La Morlette to Floirac Dravemont. • On 29 May 2007, line B was extended from Bougnard to Pessac Centre. • On 21 June 2007, line A was extended from Saint-Augustin to Mérignac Centre. • On 27 July 2007, line B was extended from Quinconces to Bassins à Flot. • On 19 November 2007, line C was extended from Quinconces to Grand-Parc. • On 27 February 2008, line C was extended from Grand-Parc to Les Aubiers and from Gare Saint-Jean to Terres Neuves. • On 31 June 2008, line A was extended from Lormont-Lauriers to La Gardette - Bassens - Carbon Blanc. • On 20 October 2008, line B was extended from Bassins à Flot to Claveau. When completed, phase 2 added 36 new stations and of additional tracks to the tramway system. The extension to the existing lines eventually opened as follows: • On 1 February 2014, line C was extended from Les Aubiers to Berges du Lac. • On 20 June 2014, line B was extended from Claveau to Berges de la Garonne. • On 24 January 2015, line C was extended from Berges du Lac to Parc des Expositions. • In March 2015, line C was extended from Terres Neuves to Lycée Vaclav Havel. • In April 2015, a new branch of line B was opened from Bougnard to France Alouette. • On 17 December 2016, a new branch of line C was opened from Cracovie to Gare de Blanquefort. • On 2 February 2019, line C was extended from Lycée Vaclav Havel to Villenave Pyrénées. The new Line D tramway opened in two phases, on 14 December 2019 and 29 February 2020. This new line runs from Carle Vernet northwest from Bordeaux through Le Bouscat, Bruges and Eysines, ending at Eysines Cantinolle. The first from Carle Vernet to Quinconces shares tracks with line C, the only part of the Bordeaux tram system where two lines share tracks. Construction of the new line starting in 2017. In May 2016, the stop Bassins à Flot on line B was renamed to La Cité du Vin, to coincide with the opening of the adjacent Cité du Vin wine museum and tourist attraction. == Network ==

The network consists of four lines, with a total route length of . The routes serve a total of 130 tram stops, counting the nine stops on the section of track shared by lines C and D, and the three interchange points in the city centre (Hotel de Ville, Porte de Bourgogne and Quinconces) once only. The line is in length and serves 51 tram stops. The line is double track throughout, with the exception of the approach to and terminal platform at Le Haillan Rostand and Mérignac-Aéroport, which takes the form of a single-track stub. Line B Line B of the Bordeaux tramway starts at ' in the north of Bordeaux and runs in a southerly direction towards the city centre, running parallel to the left bank of the Garonne river. An intermediate terminus is passed at ', where some trams from the south terminate. In the city centre it crosses and has an interchange with lines C and D at ' and with line A at '. It then runs south-west to '. Here the line divides into two branches, one running north to ' and the other west to ''''. Line C Line C of the Bordeaux tramway commences with two branches to the north of Bordeaux. One branch starts at Parc des Expositions and runs south to Cracovie. The other branch starts at Gare de Blanquefort and runs alongside the SNCF as far as Ausone, from where it follows a disused railway line to Cracovie. From here the combined line runs south to the city centre. In the city centre it joins and shares tracks with line D at Quinconces, where it also has an interchange with B. Lines C and D continue to run south together, and share an interchange with line A at Porte de Bourgogne and with the city's main railway station at Gare Saint-Jean. At Carle Vernet, line D terminates, leaving line C to continue by itself. An intermediate terminus is passed at Gare de Bègles, where some trams from the north terminate, before the final terminus is reached at Villenave Pyrénées. Line D Line D of the Bordeaux tramway starts at Eysines Cantinolle to the north-west of Bordeaux and runs in a south-easterly direction towards the city centre. An intermediate terminus is passed at Hippodrome, where some trams from the south terminate. In the city centre it joins and shares tracks with line C at Quinconces, where it also has an interchange with B. Lines C and D continue to run south together, and share an interchange with line A at Porte de Bourgogne and with the city's main railway station at Gare Saint-Jean. The line terminates at Carle Vernet, leaving line C to continue by itself. == Operations ==

A particular feature of the new Bordeaux tram network is its ground-level power supply system which is used in the city centre to avoid overhead wires spoiling the view of buildings. This was the source of many difficulties and breakdowns when first introduced. Improvements since then, however, have increased reliability and the network is now one of Bordeaux's principal plus points, valued not just for enabling the people of the city to get about easily but also for its contribution to the aesthetics of the city and its quality of life. The new trams are an essential part of Bordeaux's current tourist redynamization strategy. The three lines were extended in 2007 and 2008 to reach several housing estates as well as the suburb of Mérignac. The whole system is under video surveillance, with a camera installed inside each vehicle. Hours of operation and headways Trams operate on all lines from around 4.30am until midnight, seven days a week with later service on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays until around 1.30am. All stops have panels showing the waiting time until the next tram. On Sunday and holiday mornings, trams run every 30/40 minutes until around 1000am then every 20 minutes. Weekday and Saturday services operate every 10 – 12 minutes with additional service during 'rush hour' and for special events. However, there is no service at all on May 1, Labour Day holiday. Traffic In 2018, the tram system carried 96.77 million passengers. The French government reports no electrocutions or electrification accidents on any tramway in France from as early as 2003 until as recently as December 31, 2022. Rolling stock , the fleet is composed of 130 Alstom Citadis trams delivered between 2000 and 2020: • 12 Citadis 302 — length: , width: , weight: . 5 segments with 3 bogies and 2 motors and power. These trams support up to 218 passengers with 48 seated, and are normally used on line C. All trams are air conditioned and have a low floor. The rails are and power is 750 V DC. The maximum speed is with an acceleration of . The deceleration obtained from emergency braking is . Depots There are tram depots at: • Thiers Benauge, accessed by a line from near Thiers-Benauge tram stop on line A • Rue Achard, adjacent to Rue Achard tram stop on line B • La Jallere, accessed by a line from Parc des Expositions - Stade Matmut-Atlantique tram stop on line C Network map == See also ==