Alstom to Supply 6 Additional Citadis Trams to Nice

Alstom is to supply 6 additional Citadis trams and 22 ground-based static charging zones (SRS) to the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropole for a total amount of 27 million euros as part of the contract signed in October 2015. The first firm part of this contract covered the supply of 19 Citadis trams and their SRS charging system, scheduled to enter service in summer 2018 on the section between Cadam and Magnan.

These additional trams and SRS equipment (on board and in-station) will circulate on the T3 section of the East-West tramway line, which extends from the Plaine du Var to Saint-Isidore via the airport. These 6 additional trams will also be able to circulate on the T2 section of the East-West line. The manufacture of these new trams will begin in early 2019, following on from the trams covered by the firm tranche. The new SRS equipment, meanwhile, will be installed in stations in Nice during the first half of 2019.

“Thanks to our state-of-the-art technology, we are pleased to be able to play a role in improving the Nice Metropole’s public transport offer, a real showcase for Alstom. Our teams are hard at work every day confirming the trust placed in us by Nice Metropolis,” says Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom in France.

The latest addition to the range, the Citadis X05 tram for Nice, incorporates new technologies for a renewed passenger experience: greater comfort with 40% more glass surfaces, LEDs for soft, homogeneous lighting, large individual seats, travel information on extra large screens. Double-doors along the entire length of the tram ensure increased accessibility. The innovations of Citadis X05 are also designed to make operations easier: a 10% increase in passenger capacity, a 20% increase in the exchange ratio in stations, and a reduction of over 20% in preventive maintenance costs. Finally, this new tram will help protect the environment by consuming 30% less energy, recovering energy from braking and a 98% recovery rate.

Alstom is also implementing its new ground-based static charging solution, SRS, which can be used to charge the tram when stopped at stations in under 20 seconds, automatically and securely. The trams will be equipped with an on-board energy storage device, Citadis Ecopack, guaranteeing their autonomy between two charging points. SRS builds on the functional and safety principles of the proven APS solution (trams of Bordeaux, Reims, Dubai).

Seven of Alstom’s 12 French sites are involved in the development of the tramway system for the Nice Metropole: La Rochelle for the design and assembly of the trams, Le Creusot for the bogies, Ornans for the engines, Tarbes for the traction system, Villeurbanne for the on-board electronics and passenger information systems, Vitrolles for the SRS and Saint-Ouen for the design.