Paris brings the Tram back

Winters

Work on a Tram line in Paris has begun, bringing trams back to Paris after 60 years

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3097135.stm

The plans are all part of the Paris Mayor Bernard Delanoe's promise to "green" transport in the French capital.

He says the tramway with its 17 stops should take up to 28 million passengers a year when the service opens in 2006, and will cut down 25% of traffic in the area - all at a cost of a mere 260 million euros.

The extensive tram network which used to run through the city is now seen as a possible solution, not for the centre where the streets are too narrow, but for the outlying suburbs, where noise and air pollution from the busy motorways is an increasing problem

Does this show that an extended Luas network throughout Dublin would be better then a Metro system?

I feel as though a Metro is not needed if a good Light rail system is in place. Light rail is a lot more eco-friendly then a metro and that is part of the reason for them coming back to Paris.

Victor

Nice to see it starts at Boulevard Victor

embraer170

A 17 stop metro for €260 million. How much did the LUAS cost?

MDR

I used to live in Paris and a tram went past my house, so I don't know where this 'bringing the tram' back to paris has come from ...

Also the french local govt. is notorious for under estimating things, not to mention it has a very efficent system of throwing out planning objections (something we have yet to get the hang of in Ireland, our public consultation process add hugely to construction bills ).

dmeehan

there are already two tramwaysin paris T1 in the north(St. Denis) and T2 in the west (La Defense)

MDR

The Railway Procurement Agency says the final figure should be around €690 million.

BKtje

Trams may be more eco friendly but Metro's are one hell of a lot faster and dont clog up the streets. (as much)

Personally i'd prefer a metro system on the main routes (ie like the Dart) then have trams going around linking these together and letting people get to point C.
I would like a a similar system to what they have in Holland

sligoliner

Personally i'd prefer a metro system on the main routes (ie like the Dart) then have trams going around linking these together and letting people get to point C.

I agree, no need to be digging tunnels. Maximise the exsisting rail network around the city and use LUAS/Buses to fill in the gaps and all done with integrated ticket like in Vienna. Tunnelling is amazingly risky. At least you know you can finish a LUAS line, a tunnel you could spend several billion before the contractor says that the tunnel can't be dug any further for various reasons. It's still a very dodgy method.

maxheadroom

Methinks helsinki has it done well - I'm there at the moment, and the public transport is amazing. Integrated ticketing, proper control and regulation of privatised / contracted bus lines, metro and tram as well as heavy rail commuter lines. Individual timetables for every stop, a proper web based journey planner, everything runs on time. Single tickets give you a one hour tansfer window so you can change routes if need be. Radial and cross city routes are the norm.

And, as an aside, connex does very well in the regulated environment here...