The design of Alstoms Citadis trams for the new East-West line of the Nice Côte dAzur tramway is revealed

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Christian Estrosi, President of the Provence-Alps-Côte dAzur region, Mayor of Nice, President of the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole, the designer Ora Ïto, and Henri Poupart-Lafarge, CEO of Alstom, have unveiled the design of the Alstom Citadis trams that will circulate on the East-West line and Line 3 of the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole by the end of 2018 - early 2019. 

Keen to involve all the inhabitants of the Metropole in the choice of tram design for the new tramway line, the President of the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole launched a major public consultation. Between 30 November 2015 and 31 January 2016, the inhabitants voted to choose a design out of three propositions created and presented by the French designer ORA ÏTO, with whom Alstom collaborated to personalise the Citadis X05 range for the city of Nice. The ochre design was chosen with a 44% majority of votes. This simple design and its red ochre colour are inspired by the pigment of the façades of the buildings of Nice, such as those of the Place Massena or the Matisse museum, an elegant 17^th century villa and one of the citys most emblematic buildings. 

The Nice Côte dAzur Metropole will benefit from the latest generation of Citadis trams, the Citadis X05. These hi-tech trams will offer a renewed passenger experience: greater comfort with 40% more windows compared to the previous generation in circulation on Line 1 of the Metropole, LED lights for soft and homogenous lighting, large individual seats and journey-related information displayed on extra-wide screens. Accessibility will be increased via double doors throughout the entire length of the tram, which will also increase the passenger exchange ratio in stations by 20%. A real-time video protection system and highly fireproof materials will ensure passenger security. 

Contrary to Line 1, the distinctive feature of the new tramway line requested by the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole is the absence of overhead contact lines over the entire surface section of the route, combined with intermittent charging in stations. This Metropole requirement meets the desire to integrate the new tramway line into the urban landscape while preserving the citys architecture.

The future lines of the tramway will thus be entirely catenary-free (apart from the sections in the tunnel). For this, Alstom will supply its latest ground-based static charging technology, SRS a global premiere. This allows the tram to charge safely and automatically in under 20 seconds while stopped inside the station. The trams will be equipped with an on-board energy storage device, Citadis Ecopack, guaranteeing their autonomy between two recharging points. SRS draws on the functional principals and safety standards of the tried and tested solution, APS[1] (the trams of Bordeaux, Reims and Dubai). Equipped with this technology, the future trams of the East-West tramway line will be able to charge up at each station as passengers get on and off, without extra stopping time and without driver intervention.

Seven out of Alstoms twelve sites in France are involved in the development of this tramway system for the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole: La Rochelle for the design and assembly of the trams, Le Creusot for the bogies, Ornans for the motors, Tarbes for the traction, Villeurbanne for the onboard electronics and passenger information system, Saint-Ouen for the coordination of the design and in the Provence-Alpes-Côte dAzur region, and Vitrolles for the ground-based static charging solution.

[1] APS  - ground-level power suppy

About Alstom

As a promoter of sustainable mobility, Alstom develops and markets systems, equipment and services for the railway sector. Alstom manages the widest range of solutions in the market from high-speed trains to metros and tramways and associated maintenance, modernisation, infrastructure and signalling solutions. Alstom is a world leader in integrated railway systems. It recorded sales of 6.2 billion and booked 10 billion of orders in the 2014/15 fiscal year. Headquartered in France, Alstom is present in over 60 countries and employs 32,000 people today. Present on 12 sites in France, Alstom is the leading French railway company and contributes to the vitality of local economies. Its employees in France total approximately 9,200, providing a pool of expertise to serve French and international clients. A job at Alstom creates about three amongst its suppliers.

About the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole

Following a long phase of reflection, studies and consultations, the Nice Côte dAzur Metropole, Organising Authority for Sustainable Mobility in the region, has proposed an ambitious blueprint for the Urban Transport Network up until 2030. Beyond the simple creation of an extra tramway line, this would involve a true long-term vision for 2030, building on the creation of a tramway network and the pooling of all transport methods in the Metropolitan area (plane, tram, bus, train, car, bicycles, taxi, foot). The aim of this Blueprint for Transport is to set up our Metropole as a role-model for transport infrastructure and interlinking transport modes via the development of a true tramway network, the modernisation and reinforcement of the bus network, the development of new modes of alternative travel (Autobleu, Vélobleu..), an advantageous tariff system, innovative services, the creation of a transport network,  a sustainable global ecological approach, and the interlinking of all modes of transport through Multimodal Exchange Hubs.