Valenciennes tramway

The former Valenciennes tram network was opened in 1881, and at the peak of its development during the early 20th century, it reached the Belgian border. The region suffered from a steep decline in several of the local industries, these being mining, steel production and textiles; it was amid this climate that the original tram network was closed in July 1966. Despite the tram network's closure, the road infrastructure of the region was not heavily developed to take over its role. It would take nearly a full decade between the official proposal for the modern tramway being released and its adoption as an active policy; this delay has been attributed to the various bureaucratic steps required for its authorisation, including the multiple local councils that had to consent to its construction. The light rail scheme was primarily sponsored by Syndicat Intercommunal des Transports Urbains de la Région de Valenciennes (SITURV) and the European Investment Bank (EIB) emerged as an important source of finance. There was considerable anti-railway lobbying from some members of the community as well. According to railway publication Rail Technology, the automotive industry was a key source of support for the relaunch of tram services, since both Peugeot Citroën (PSA) and Toyota have manufacturing plants in the area. In 2000, approval was given to proceed with the construction of the first phase of the network, which had an estimated cost of €242.8 million. A consortium led by French rolling stock manufacturer Alstom was awarded the contract to build the system. == Network ==

Phase I The first section of line A (Université - Dutemple, 19 stations) opened on 3 July 2006 as line 1. It is 9.5 km long and serves five villages. The Citadis 302, produced by Alstom, was adopted as the network's rolling stock and used to transport the first passengers. It is 8.8 km long. The second largest town in the Valenciennes area, Denain has historically sought to improve its transport capacity. The line reuses a 6.5 km long section of the former railway from Denain to Valenciennes, which was one of the oldest railways in France (line Abscon - Saint-Waast: opened in 1838). The cost of the Phase II extension was €69 million. One additional intermediate station, Les Grémonts, was added in a second phase. The Solange Tonini station was added in September 2008 and the Allende station was renamed Jean Dulieu. In July 2009, the station La Plaine was added north of Dutemple. In August 2010, the line 1 was redesignated, becoming line A. Phase III Phase III opened in February 2014. Known as line C, this route runs between Anzin and Vieux-Condé. Construction commenced in September 2011 and was completed in December 2013. Ultimately, Alstom delivered nine additional Citadis vehicles for used upon the second line of Valenciennes tram network during December 2013. Phase IV Phase IV, line D Valenciennes - Crespin, study under way, scheduled later. == Operations ==

In advance of each journey on the tramway, passengers buy tickets via purpose-built ticket machines at each tram stop; these tickets are checked by onboard revenue protection inspectors. == Future extensions ==

Beyond lines C and D, the following extensions are envisaged: • from Denain to Douchy-les-Mines: the terminus of line A at Espace Villars in Denain provides the right orientation towards the city of Douchy-les-Mines. • towards Raismes: along avenue Anatole-France to place de Raismes. The three-way junction in Anzin may be difficult, so it will be necessary to use either the Raismes branch or the Vieux-Condé branch (Line C) as a shuttle. == Network Map ==