Alstom inaugurates the first Citadis Compact as it enters commercial service in Aubagne

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Alstom will celebrate the arrival of the first Citadis Compact at the launch of the first tramway line of the Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Etoile urban district in France. The entry into commercial service, planned for 1 September, was announced during a press conference in the presence of Sylvia Barthélémy, President of the Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Etoile urban district council, Pierre Coulomb, Transport Vice-President, Guillaume Aribaud from French transport operator Transdev, and Jacques Beltran, Sales Director of Alstom Transport France.

Aubagne's Citadis Compact tram, which will serve the line from Le Charrel to the Aubagne bus station, is a testament to the joint efforts of Alstom's Design & Styling department, the artist Hervé di Rosa and the children of the town's schools.

Specially designed to meet the needs of medium-sized networks (50,000 to 100,000 inhabitants) and secondary lines, the new-generation tram Citadis Compact capitalises on Alstom's fifteen years of tram experience, with over 1,800 Citadis trams ordered by 45 cities worldwide, 24 of them abroad.

Citadis Compact offers the largest capacity on the market in proportion to its size (22 metres), and can carry up to 146 passengers in its highest-capacity version. Passenger circulation is made much easier by the double doors, unique for a tram of this length, and the widest central aisle on the market.

Citadis Compact's high level of modularity also makes it possible to adapt the interior layout (seat arrangement, luggage racks etc.). The permanent magnet motors reduce electricity consumption and the accessibility of key components, such as the bogies and the air conditioning, facilitates maintenance and reduces operating costs and tram immobilisation times for even greater efficiency.

Six of Alstom Transport's eleven sites in France took part in building the Citadis for Aubagne: La Rochelle for the tram design and construction, Saint-Ouen for the design, Ornans for the motors, Le Creusot for the bogies, Tarbes for the power train equipment and Villeurbanne for the onboard IT.

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