Toulouse metropolitan area sees the first tramset of its
Citadis tramway at Alstoms La Rochelle site

On 16 December 2008, Stéphane Coppey,
Chairman of Tisséo SMTC (a part-public, part-private
partnership operating public transport in the Toulouse area) and
Joël Carreiras, Chairman of SMAT (the Toulouse metro
company), accompanied by elected officials from the Toulouse
metropolitan area, visited Alstoms La Rochelle site -
where tramways are produced - to see the first tramset of the
Toulouse-Blagnac-Beauzelle tramway.

These tramsets are fitted with the latest
equipment from the Citadis range, indispensable for passenger
comfort: an integral low floor to enable accessibility by people
with reduced mobility, air conditioning, closed-circuit
surveillance and sound and visual information systems. The
exterior design and interior fittings are the result of joint
collaboration between SMAT and the design departments of Alstom
Transport and Airbus. The aerodynamic lines of the tram nose are
reminiscent of the links between the conurbation and the aviation
industry.

The 65.7 million contract signed with
Tisséo SMTC in April 2006 included a firm phase covering the
design studies and the development of a life-sized model,
displayed in Toulouse and Blagnac in the autumn, and four
conditional phases covering the supply of 24 Citadis tramsets and
their maintenance over five years. The first conditional tranche
in respect of 18 tramsets was exercised in May 2007. The other
three relate to the production of four, then two further tramsets
and the maintenance of the entire tramway fleet for a period of
five years. The tramsets will be delivered between May 2009 and
February 2010. The Citadis tramsets will come into service in
2010 and will run on Line E, which will link Toulouse, Blagnac
and Beauzelle.

• The tramway, the spirit of your city
• Visit the Alstom Transport website