The Tramway Niçois: a success story
More than 100 years after the first tramway was built in Nice in 1900, line 1 of the new tramway was inaugurated in Nice on 24 November 2007.
Work had begun in 2003 in order to cope with the major traffic problems encountered by the city.
In view of the success of line 1, it was quickly announced that a second line would be inaugurated on 30 June 2018, followed by a third line that would be operational from 13 November 2019.
LINE 1
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Called " North South ", line 1 connects the Saint Sylvestre district to the Pasteur district.
It leaves from the north at Henri Sappia station, then crosses the centre of Nice (Libération, Jean Médecin, Masséna) and ends at the Pasteur Hospital.
There are 22 stations along the way.
The journey takes about 36 minutes.
The Schedules on Line 1 :
from 4:25 a.m. to 1:35 a.m., with an average frequency of 4/5 minutes.
LINE 2
Known as the "East-West" line, it leaves the Port to reach the Arenas district.
Its departure is from the east of the Port Lympia station to the Grand Arenas station, passing through the town centre, notably via Garibaldi, Wilson, Jean Médecin, Alsace Lorraine and Fabron.
From Grand Arenas, the line branches off in 2 directions: the airport (terminals 1 and 2) and the CADAM (Administrative Centre).
There are 15 stations for the 1st part, then 2 towards the airport and 3 towards Cadam.
The journey takes about 26 minutes.
The Schedules on Line 2 :
from 4:30 a.m. to 1:30 a.m., with an average frequency of 4 minutes for the common core and 8 minutes for the 2 bifurcations.
LINE 3
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Partially commissioned in December 2019, it links the airport's Terminal 2 to the Saint-Isidore district, via the new Allianz Riviera stadium to the Lingostière shopping centre.
It has 13 stations.
The journey takes approximately 25 minutes.
The Schedules on Line 3 :
de 4:16 a.m. à 0:05 a.m., with an average frequency of 35 minutes from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
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PRICES
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Ticket for a trip at €1.50 each.
Ticket of 10 trips at €10, that is to say €1 per trip.
There are daily, weekly or monthly subscription formulas.
All stations are equipped with ticket vending machines.
The tobaccos shops and the presses shops also sell them.
AN ECOLOGICAL TRAMWAY
The Nice tramway runs at an average speed of 20 km/h, it is, of course, much quieter and less polluting than cars. It runs on electricity and therefore has no greenhouse gas emissions.
Its access has been designed for disabled people and person with reduced mobility.
The city of Nice has therefore opted for a sustainable transition with its tramway network.
The West-East tramway reduces pollution and noise by eliminating the daily entry of 20,000 cars into the city, a 5.3% reduction in traffic. This will lead to a reduction in air pollution (approximately -15% of pollutants) and noise (reduction by half observed on line 1).
During the design phase of the project, sustainable development was translated into :
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Increase the presence of trees in the city to promote "natural air conditioning" of the city.
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Choose deciduous trees that provide shade in summer but allow the sun to shine in winter.
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Favour non-allergenic, predominantly Mediterranean plant species to limit water input.
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Install a centralised watering management system, with a lawn that is as resistant as possible to drought and intrusion.
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Take into account the notion of night-time light pollution (balance between safety and protection).
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Facilitate the use of park-and-ride facilities and transport hubs by their location and comfort (places sheltered from the sun, covered two-wheeler shelters, places for people with reduced mobility PRM)
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Create and organise connections to cycle paths for continuity of route
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Systematize two-wheeler locations near stations
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Widen sidewalks as much as possible
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Exceeding PRM standards for accessibility
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Choose energy-efficient equipment for street lighting
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Install masts and solar panels where appropriate.
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Optimize rolling stock to be as reliable, accessible and comfortable as possible.
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Acquire high-capacity, low-floor, energy-efficient trainsets with optimized air conditioning and lighting, and interior coatings that emit the least pollutants.
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Limit electricity consumption by recovering the energy produced during train braking and reinjecting it into the tramway system.
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Construct the tramway platform by reducing its thickness as much as possible in order to allow a better implantation and then conservation of the turf (more soil thickness).
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Finally, in the operational phase, sustainable development is reflected in :
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To continue and develop the sustainable development actions already underway in the operation of line 1 tramway by the Lignes d'Azur authority.
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Recycling and reuse of water from the washing station,
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use of recyclable oils on the rails,
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training courses in fuel-efficient driving for bus and tramway drivers (allowing a 10% energy saving),
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O.A.S. (operational assistance system) equipping all vehicles and providing real-time passenger information for the tramway.
THE TRAMWAY AND THE OGNICE TEAM
The Allianz Riviera is a multifunctional stadium, located in the Saint-Isidore district of Nice, in the Alpes-Maritimes. It has 35,624 seats for football. Its resident club is OGC Nice, which played its first match there on 22 September 2013.
An example of energy performance, the Allianz Riviera complies with the main principles of sustainable development. The objective is clear: to reduce the impact on the environment. Hence the interest in linking it as quickly as possible to the tramway, something that was finally achieved in December 2019.
Its access but especially its parking difficulties have often been decried since its opening. The arrival of the tramway was seen as a real relief by all the supporters. It now takes them 20 minutes to get from the city centre to the stadium on match days.
THE TRAMWAY AND ART
