- Tramway de Nice
"This article is about the new tramway of Nice, for the old network, see
Tramway de Nice et du Littoral "The Tramway de Nice is a
tram way of the French Southern city ofNice . Fifty-three years after the closure of theTramway de Nice et du Littoral , the Tramway de Nice serves its Northern and Eastern suburbs. It opened on November 24, 2007.__TOC__-Network
The Tramway de Nice was designed to serve most of the population of Nice, as the city is situated along a seaside, the line does not have to traverse it. Instead it was drawn as a U shape, passing through the centre.
There is one line only, served by two termini; called "Comte de Falicon" and "Pont Michel".
Comte de Falicon terminus
The tram depot is situated at the Northwestern terminus of the line in the neighbourhood of Le Rouret, where the Count of Falicon and the Marquis of Rouret once owned large villas and many farms doted the land.
Above the tram terminus a 650 m² sport and cultural centres have been built. The plaza in front of the station has been raised and planted with a dry fountain of water jets installed.
Fontaine du Temple
The Fontaine du Temple neighbourhood where the tram stop of the same name is built has been remodelled for the arrival of the tramway. The plaza has been repaved and will welcome the morning outdoor market.
Rolling stock
The
tram cars of the Tramway de Nice are unique and have been specially designed to blend in with the "Niçois"architecture , they are based on Alstom'sCitadis family of tramcars. They were built by Alstom nearLa Rochelle , France. A standard 5 car tram measures 35 m but extra carriages may be added, bringing the length to 45 m. The tram is 2.65 m wide and may carry 200 passengers at 18 km/h compared to 11 km/h bybus . It uses the RailGauge|sgstandard gauge .Power supply
The Tramway de Nice was originally to use the
Alimentation par Sol (APS)third rail system as used by theTramway de Bordeaux . However, this was abandoned in favor of the more conventional overhead power supply cables providing 750V DC, except when the tram crosses the Place Masséna and Garibaldi, when it lowers its pantograph and relies on its onboardnickel metal hydride batteries to cross these large open spaces, where overhead wires would be an eyesore.Gallery
External links
* [http://www.draemmli.info/report-nice_e.html Photos and report about the new nice tramway ] www.draemmli.info (in English & German)
* [http://www.tramway-nice.org infotram]
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