Inauguration of Alstom’s new-generation Citadis tram for the Urban Community of Caen la Mer

27 July 2019 – Alstom has commissioned its new-generation Citadis X05 tram on the three new lines of Caen la Mer. Presided over by Joël Bruneau, President of the Urban Community of Caen la Mer, and Rodolphe Thomas, First Vice-President of Caen la Mer, in charge of transport, travel and infrastructure, the inauguration took place in the presence of Jean-Léonce Dupont, President of Calvados region, Hervé Morin, President of Normandy region, Agnès Monfret, EU delegate, Stéphane Guyon, general Secretary of Calvados Prefecture and Emmanuel Bois, Sales Director for Alstom in France.

“Just one year after the first tram was presented at the La Rochelle site, it is with great pride that Alstom and its teams take part in this inauguration. Thanks to their reliability, availability and ease of maintenance, we have total confidence in the ability of the 26 Citadis trams to meet the growing mobility requirements of the inhabitants of the Urban Community of Caen la Mer,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, Senior Vice President France at Alstom.

33 metres long and featuring 6 double doors on each side, the Citadis X05 for Caen la Mer can carry more than 210 passengers. It has 6 extra-wide passenger information screens, large windows covering 45% of the vehicle and will offer USB charging sockets, a first in France. In addition, the Citadis X05 for the Urban Community of Caen la Mer can climb slopes with gradients of up to 8% and has standardised, proven and more accessible components. Last but not least, the tram demonstrates a particularly high level of performance in terms of environmental sustainability, thanks in particular to its 100% LED lighting and optimised air conditioning. It is particularly energy efficient and 95% recyclable.

Eight of Alstom's 13 sites in France designed and manufactured the Citadis trams for the Urban Community of Caen la Mer: La Rochelle (design, assembly, validation, commercial entry into service and warranty), Ornans (engines), Le Creusot (bogies), Tarbes (traction modules), Valenciennes (interior layout), Villeurbanne (on-board computerised systems), Aix en Provence (tachymetry, for measuring travel speed) and Saint-Ouen (design).In total, more than 2,600 Citadis trams have been sold to more than 50 cities in 20 countries.