Alstom to provide Lyon with 10 high-capacity Citadis tramways

SYTRAL (Syndicat Mixte des Transports pour le Rhône et lAgglomération Lyonnaise) - Lyons transport authority - has selected Alstom to supply 10 high-capacity Citadis tramways, which can accommodate up to 400 passengers (or the equivalent of 6 buses, based on an average capacity of 6 passengers per sq.m. and 66 passengers per bus). The new trams will operate on the T3 line, which links Part-Dieu to Meyzieu. Options for an additional 2 to 9 tramsets may be issued at a later date. The total contract would then be worth approximately 58 million.

These new 43 metre-long Citadis tramsets will be the result of more than 10 years of feedback from the Lyon network, which will speed up their integration into the current fleet and reduce the lines operating costs.

Alstoms design matches the tramsets original visual identity, in line with the aesthetic consistency sought by SYTRAL, while modernising certain aspects. For example, the tramsets retain the interior design concept created by the firm Avant Première. An innovative backdrop sets the scene for this harmony of colours and materials - the colour of the ceiling can be changed by altering the LED lighting.

Alstoms Citadis trams are designed for optimal quality of life on board, as well as maximum passenger comfort. They feature platform-height floors, air conditioning, a video-surveillance system and on-board audio and visual information. Alstoms Citadis tramways are also environmentally-friendly. Each Citadis requires four times less energy than a bus and 10 times less energy than a car in kWh per seated passenger, and is up to 98% recyclable. It also improves quality of urban life: it is nearly four times quieter than car traffic, generating noise levels that are 5 dBA lower.

Citadis has become a global benchmark for performance, so SYTRAL can be sure that it will be receiving trams that have proved their worth on the market. To date, a total of 1,524 Citadis trams have been ordered by 36 cities worldwide, while over 60 cities have tram projects in the pipeline.

History of the SYTRAL fleet: 73 Citadis, in operation since 2 January 2001, 57,541,027 trips per year (or the equivalent of 15.5% of all journeys on Lyons public transport network). 

Press contacts

Pauline Bochot
Tel + 33 (0)1 57 06 97 60

Laurent Gerbet
Tel + 33 (0)1 57 06 92 83