Alstom will deliver the first tram sets of its Citadis Compact to the local authority of Pays d’Aubagne et de l’Etoile Feb. 28 in the presence of Magali Giovannangeli, president of the authority, Daniel Fontaine, mayor of Aubagne, Guillaume Arribaud, director of the Aubagne bus operator and Emmanuel Bois, Alstom Transport’s business development director.
After its arrival at the maintenance centre and depot in Aubagne, the first 22-metre long tram will complete a series of track tests until the end of July 2014 to be ready for the commercial launch of the tram service in early September 2014.
The Aubagne local authority, the first of Alstom’s customers to order the Citadis Compact, will benefit from the innovative design of this tram. Internationally renowned artist Hervé Di Rosa’s involvement in the design of the Citadis Compact has produced a unique tram with a warm, colourful and resolutely human finish.
The Citadis Compact, the latest-generation tram designed for medium-sized networks and secondary lines with reduced traffic, benefits from Alstom’s experience in tram technology. It offers the highest capacity on the market for its size. The high-capacity version can carry up to 146 passengers in just 24 metres. Access and passenger movements are made much easier by the exclusive double doors, a first for a tram of this size, and the extra wide central corridor. The Citadis Compact is also highly modular, allowing the interior fittings to be adapted (layout of the seats, luggage racks, etc.). Finally, the use of permanent magnet motors cuts electricity consumption, and key components, such as the bogies and air conditioning systems, are readily accessible for greater ease of maintenance, limiting downtimes and boosting efficiency.
Six of Alstom Transport’s sites have contributed to the production of the Citadis for Aubagne. The carriages are developed and built in La Rochelle, Saint-Ouen is tasked with the design, Ornans builds the motors, Le Creusot makes the bogies, Tarbes produces the drive train and the onboard computer systems are made in Villeurbanne.\
