Tramway de Valenciennes
Encyclopedia
The Valenciennes tramway is a tram
system in the Valenciennes
urban area in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région
of northern France
. One line has been completed, and eventually the network will include three lines, be 48 km long and serve sixteen cities and villages.
has been selected to transport the first passengers.
The line starts in a nearly rural area in the grounds of the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis
, then goes north through a commercial mall and the poorer housing areas of La Briquette. It runs through the center of Valenciennes
, from Porte de Paris stop to the railway station
. Originally the line was to go through the Place d'Armes in front of the city hall, but instead it uses the nearby Rue de la Vieille-Poissonnerie. Beyond the railway station, the line reaches the suburban city of Anzin
, where it runs through former industrial areas, now abandoned, and then reuses the former Abscon
- Saint-Waast
railway line from St-Waast stop to Dutemple terminus.
A study on a single-track extension from St-Waast stop to Valenciennes hospital was carried out and dropped in favour of an electric shuttle bus.
Line A was extended during Phase II from Valenciennes
to Denain
(Dutemple - Espace Villars, eight stations) and this extension was formally opened on August 31, 2007. Commercial services began three days later. It is 8.8 km long.
The second largest city of the Valenciennes area, Denain wants to improve its transportation capabilities. The line reuses a 6.5 km long section of the former railway platform from Denain to Valenciennes, which was one of the oldest railways in France (line Abscon
- Saint-Waast: opened in 1838). The cost of the Phase II extension is 69 M€.
One additional intermediate station, Les Grémonts, could be added in a second phase. The station Solange Tonini was added in September 2008 and the Allende station was renamed Jean Dulieu. In July 2009, the station La Plaine was added north of Dutemple. In August 2010, the line 1 has become line A.
Beyond lines C and D, the following extensions are envisaged:
trams for use on line 2.
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
system in the Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
urban area in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais région
Régions of France
France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...
of northern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. One line has been completed, and eventually the network will include three lines, be 48 km long and serve sixteen cities and villages.
Former network
The former Valenciennes network was opened in 1881, and at the peak of its development reached the Belgian border. It closed in July 1966.Phase I
The first section of line A (Université - Dutemple, 19 stations) opened on July 3, 2006 under the name of line 1. It is 9.5 km long, services five cities or villages of the Valenciennes area, at a cost of €242.75 million. Citadis 302 from AlstomAlstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
has been selected to transport the first passengers.
The line starts in a nearly rural area in the grounds of the University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis
University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis
The University of Valenciennes and Hainaut-Cambresis is a French public university, based in Valenciennes. It is under the Academy of Lille and is a member of the .-See also:...
, then goes north through a commercial mall and the poorer housing areas of La Briquette. It runs through the center of Valenciennes
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
, from Porte de Paris stop to the railway station
Gare de Valenciennes
Gare de Valenciennes is a railway station serving the town of Valenciennes, Nord, France.-References:*...
. Originally the line was to go through the Place d'Armes in front of the city hall, but instead it uses the nearby Rue de la Vieille-Poissonnerie. Beyond the railway station, the line reaches the suburban city of Anzin
Anzin
Anzin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt, 1-½ miles northwest of Valenciennes, of which it is a suburb.-History:...
, where it runs through former industrial areas, now abandoned, and then reuses the former Abscon
Abscon
Abscon is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
- Saint-Waast
Saint-Waast
Saint-Waast is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
railway line from St-Waast stop to Dutemple terminus.
A study on a single-track extension from St-Waast stop to Valenciennes hospital was carried out and dropped in favour of an electric shuttle bus.
Phase II
Valenciennes
Valenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
to Denain
Denain
It is the largest of 39 communes which comprise the association of communes of Porte du Hainaut, with a total population of 147,989, as of 1999. Denain had a population of 20,360, on a land area of 11.52 km² .-References:* -External links:...
(Dutemple - Espace Villars, eight stations) and this extension was formally opened on August 31, 2007. Commercial services began three days later. It is 8.8 km long.
The second largest city of the Valenciennes area, Denain wants to improve its transportation capabilities. The line reuses a 6.5 km long section of the former railway platform from Denain to Valenciennes, which was one of the oldest railways in France (line Abscon
Abscon
Abscon is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-References:*...
- Saint-Waast: opened in 1838). The cost of the Phase II extension is 69 M€.
One additional intermediate station, Les Grémonts, could be added in a second phase. The station Solange Tonini was added in September 2008 and the Allende station was renamed Jean Dulieu. In July 2009, the station La Plaine was added north of Dutemple. In August 2010, the line 1 has become line A.
Future lines C and D
Lines C and D will be opened in two phases :- Phase III, line C AnzinAnzinAnzin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt, 1-½ miles northwest of Valenciennes, of which it is a suburb.-History:...
- Vieux-CondéVieux-Condé-References:*...
, 13 km long single track tramway (23 stations) with crossings at the stations, scheduled for 2012. Construction should start in 2010.
- Phase IV, line D ValenciennesValenciennesValenciennes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.It lies on the Scheldt river. Although the city and region had seen a steady decline between 1975 and 1990, it has since rebounded...
- CrespinCrespin, Nord-References:*...
, study under way, scheduled later.
Beyond lines C and D, the following extensions are envisaged:
- from Denain to Douchy-les-MinesDouchy-les-MinesDouchy-les-Mines is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-Twin towns — Sister cities:Douchy-les-Mines is twinned with*Mielec in Poland -References:* -Notes:...
: the terminus of line A at Espace Villars in Denain provides the right orientation towards the city of Douchy-les-MinesDouchy-les-MinesDouchy-les-Mines is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Heraldry:-Twin towns — Sister cities:Douchy-les-Mines is twinned with*Mielec in Poland -References:* -Notes:...
. - towards RaismesRaismesRaismes is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-References:*...
: along avenue Anatole-France to place de Raismes. The three-way junction in Anzin may be difficult, so it will be necessary to use either the Raismes branch or the Vieux-Condé branch (Line C) as a shuttle.
Rolling stock
In October 2010, Alstom won a contract to supply seven CitadisCitadis
The Citadis is a low-floor tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. 1,140 Citadis are currently in use in 28 cities, among others: Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Orléans, the Paris area, and Barcelona, Dublin, Gdańsk, Katowice, Adelaide, Melbourne, Jerusalem and...
trams for use on line 2.
See also
- Transportation in Valenciennes
- Trams in FranceTrams in FranceTrams in France go back to 1837 when a 15 km steam tram line connected Montrond-les-Bains and Montbrison in the Loire. With the development of electric trams at the end of the 19th century, networks proliferated in French cities over the next 15 years...
- List of town tramway systems in France