Nantes:
The renaissance of the light rail transit system
Nantes:
| |
| Country: | France |
| Type: | Policies |
| Area: | Entire City |
| Actors: | Local Gov., Private |
| Funding: | Local Gov., National Gov., Private |
| Topics: | Mobility |
| Objectives: | Increase non-motorised mobility |
| Increase use of public transport | |
| Reduce car mobility | |
| Reduce commuting distance | |
| Instruments: | Green taxes |
At the beginning of the early 1970s the City of Nantes followed the new trend in French national transport policy which aimed to launch new initiatives for public transport systems in order to bring relief to inner city congestion caused by increased motorised traffic. The City of Nantes already had a strong tradition in public transport as the first commercial horse-drawn city buses in France had been run in the city in 1825. The first electrified tramways went into operation in 1913, and between the two World Wars the network was extended to up to 32 routes. However, the Second World War caused great damage to the technical infrastructure and in 1949 the municipality decided to phase out the tram and to replace it by bus services. The operation of the tram was stopped in January 1958.
In 1973 the City of Nantes started to established a network of reserved lanes in order to make public transport more attractive. The next important step was the organisational restructuring of the transport policy. In 1975 the municipal transportation company (Syndicat Intercommunal des Transport Publics de l`Agglomération Nantaise SITPAN) was set up, which in 1979 was replaced by a mixed economy corporation under control of the former SITPAN and chaired by a representative of the municipality.
The reorganisation was due to the increase in public transport activities on local and national level. In 1975 the State Secretary of Transport M. Cavaillé had commissioned nine of the most populous conurbations to join in drawing up specifications for a new tramway-type rail system. In addition, an international competition was held to promote the development of a single standard specification for light rail equipment in France. The City of Nantes reacted with a municipal strategy plan for public transport and, in consequence, Nantes was selected as a model for the introduction of a French vehicle standard for a tramway-type rail system. Later the Tramway Francais Standard, which was developed by Alsthom Atlantique, was only used in Nantes. However, at the end of the 1980s an updated model has been accessible in Grenoble and Paris (St.Denis/Bobigny).
In 1983 further progress in the Nantes public transport sector was made when the SITPAN became the SIMAN (Syndicat Intercommunal a Vocation Multiple de l`Agglomération Nantaise). The responsibilities of the new company were extended beyond the concerns of public transport. SIMAN conducted a new general traffic policy for the Nantes urban area. On the one hand this change had enabled a single institution to take responsibility for the construction of a ring road around Nantes which should divert through traffic, on the other hand the new company could also plan the introduction of a new public transport system which aimed to serve the city centre.
The tramway network is designed to provide a maximum of passenger benefits in respect of served areas, punctuality, speed and capacity. The public transport network as a whole offers various services connected to the light rail transit system. The tram routes are diametrical and extend to the outskirts of the City of Nantes where the built-up areas are located and, therefore, the heaviest traffic can be carried. Radial bus routes or diametrical routes provide a secondary service. Ring road bus routes link the outskirts without passing through the city centre. Special bus routes serve outlying districts and industrial zones, and they are connected with the tram by terminals.
In the first week of 1985 the new tramway system went into operation. The first line had a length of six kilometres and 13 stations. Later it was extended to a total length of 12.6 km and 24 stops. The second line opened in September 1993 and it has a length of 9.6 km and 22 stations. A third route is due to open in 1996. Between 1985 and 1995 the tram transported a total of 165 million passengers.
The new tram service is run for more than 20 hours per day from 4.30 a.m. to 12.50 a.m. On work days the off-peak waiting time is 7.5 minutes and at peak hours the average waiting time is 5.5 for a single vehicle or 7 minutes for a two-vehicle train.
The standard capacity per vehicle is 168 passengers (60 seated and 108 standing) although the manufacturers indicated a capacity of 276 passengers. However, the Nantes public transport standard is aiming for 4 passengers per square metre. This norm is only exceeded at peak times with an average of 6.6 passengers per square metre.
In 1980 the public transport carried 1,333,000 passenger trips inside the urban area of Nantes. In 1990 the number of daily passenger trips had increased to 1,746,000 which was an increase of 31%. However, one has to take into account that at the same time the number of private cars rose from 150,000 in 1980 to 225,000 in 1990. In 1990 the car share of daily trips in the urban areas was 59%.
There had been a steady increase in the average passenger volume (trips per day) on weekdays within the first years of operation as the number rose from 8,200 (February 1985) to 35,500 (June 1985), 43,800 (March 1986), 45,080 (March 1987), 47,700 (January 1989), 58,900 (November 1989). In September 1993 the second route opened and, in consequence, the average level of 115,000 trips per day was reached in 1994.
In 1985 the buses had 50 million passengers whereas the tram attracted 8 million passengers in its first year of operation. A decade later the number of public transport passengers had dramatically increased. In 1995 48 million passengers used the buses and 37 million opted for the tram. On average every inhabitant of Nantes makes 168 trips per year by public transport and 44% of the trips are made by tram.
In France, the organisation and financing of urban public transport is the responsibility of the local government. A municipality has either its own Urban Transport Organisation Authority or it is a member of a group of municipalities which have a common authority. An Urban Transport Organisation Authority is concerned with the building and financing of new or existing infrastructure. The public transport network is operated by an undertaking which is controlled by this authority which is either a mixed economy public enterprise or a private company. In Nantes SIMAN has the responsibility for local urban public transport. In addition, SIMAM is engaged in road system matters, consultancy matters such as project studies, and refuse disposal. SIMAN owns the rolling stock and the infrastructure. In Nantes the building and the operation of the tram system was delegated to a separate mixed economy company, SEMITAN of which SIMAN holds a 65% share of the capital.
SEMITAN has a workforce of 966 for the operation of the combined buses and tram network. 640 employees belong to the vehicle crew.
The Nantes light rail system was financed from different sources of funds:
The Transport Contribution is a special tax which was introduced in the early 1970s for the purpose of financing the investment and operation of urban public transport systems in cities with a population of more than 30,000. The tax, the so-called Versement de Transport, has to be paid to the local Urban Transport Authority by all employers with more than nine employees. The tax is fixed at 1.75% of wage.
Guillossou, Maudrez 1993: Le tramway Nantais, in: Le Rail, No.6, Novembre, S.36/37
Gache, André 1994: Nantes: Verlängerung der Straßenbahnstrecke 2 nach Norden, in: Stadtverkehr, Nr.1, S. 16/17
European Conference of Ministers of Transport 1994: Light Rail Transit Systems, Paris
| Name | : | SEMITAN |
| Firstname | : | |
| Telefon | : | ++33 / 51 / 81 77 00 |
| Telefax | : | ++33 / 51 / 81 77 70 |
| Address | : | 3 rue Bellier |
| F - 44046 Nantes cedex 01 | ||
The City of Nantes is located in the West of France in the Department Loire Atlantique. It has a population of 502,000 which is nearly half of the total population of the Department (1,069,000). The city covers an area of 455 square kilometres and the population density is 1,103 people per square kilometre. The city is an important hub for national and regional road, rail, air and maritime traffic. The greatest share of workplaces is in the public sector with approximately 157,000 jobs.
Project was added at 27.06.96
Project was changed at 27.06.96