T9 and T10, two new trams lines in Lyon

by Stefano Alfano

Lyon, one of the cities with excellent electric public transport, will soon see its tram network expanded. The construction of two new tram lines, the T9 and T10, will soon begin, adding to the 7 existing lines and the Rhonexpress line. The network expansion plan continues apace: the last two lines, the T6 and T7, were inaugurated on 22 November 2019 and 1 February 2021 respectively.

T9 in Lyon

Starting in 2026, the new T9 tramway line will connect the Vaulx-en-Velin – La Soie multi-modal node with Charpennes node in about 35 minutes, connecting the university Campus, the higher education centres of Vaulx-en-Velin and the areas south and north of Vaulx-en-Velin and facilitating connections in this area.

The new line aims to support the urban renewal of the areas crosses and, more specifically, neighbourhoods such as La Soie in Vaulx-en-Velin, the north of Vaulx-en-Velin, including the eastern neighbourhoods, the city centre and the Mas du Taureau and Les Buers and Saint-Jean in Villeurbanne; the living environment will be improved by upgrading and greening public spaces and providing new pavements and cycle paths.

With the chosen route, the T9 line will offer the opportunity to quickly reach the centre of Lyon, creating an interchange with metro lines A and B and tram lines T1, T4, T3, T7, the Rhônexpress and the future extension of line T6. 

The line will be 11.3 km long, of which 8.8 km will be built, and will have 12 new stations. The operating schedule envisages a passage every 10 minutes during peak hours. By 2030, about 38,000 passengers per day are expected.    EUR 290 million have been earmarked for the project.

Prior to the start of infrastructure work on the line, scheduled for mid-2024, preparatory work is underway to relocate, refurbish or retrofit the underground networks for wastewater treatment, drinking water, gas, electricity, district heating and other services involved.

Sytral Mobilités will pay particular attention to site safety and the impact on local traders and residents. Access will thus be maintained for the duration of the works, even with the help of temporary devices.

During the work phases, which are carried out under the project management of Sytral Mobilités, special attention will be paid to finding the best solutions to support local residents and economic activities affected by the work. To this end, Sytral Mobilités has implemented an important information system on the progress of the work:

• Presence on the territory: two agents will liaise with local residents and shopkeepers until the line is operational.  The local agents have already met shopkeepers and residents along the route to present the project and answer their questions;
  
• Printed communication: a project letter will be distributed to all local residents along the site at each main stage of the project. An additional system of local letters has been set up to convey targeted and timely information;
  
• Online Communication, through a dedicated page in the monthly digital magazine “Mobiles” and Sytral Mobilités’ social networks, as well as real-time information;
  
• Communication on the network, to inform users in real time about the progress of the site and adaptations of the TCL network in relation to them (audio announcements, iTCL screens, etc.);

Signage tools will also be implemented in the field to inform people about maintaining access to businesses or traffic plans.

Lyon, T10

But the news do not end there. A new T10 line will also be built by 2026, which will connect the interchange at Gare de Vénissieux (Metro D, Tram T4 and others) with the so-called Gerland sector as a further cross-connection, with a terminus at the Halle Tony Garnier station on the existing T1 tram line. For the 8 km of the new line, on which 22,000 daily passengers are expected in the future, EUR 250 million will be invested.

The T10 line will support the redevelopment of the Vénissieux and Saint-Fons neighbourhoods, the transformation of the Arsenal and Carnot Parmentier priority neighbourhoods included in the ‘New National Urban Renewal Programme’, and the development of areas of economic and industrial activity.

As with all structuring projects by Sytral Mobilités, the construction of the T10 tramway will be accompanied by the creation of cycle and pedestrian facilities along its entire route.

This project received financial support from the Rhône Méditerranée Corse water agency in the amount of EUR 1,298,000 excluding VAT. The water agency is a public institution of the state that works to protect water and the environment. It collects water taxes paid by all users and reinvests them from project owners (local authorities, industrialists, farmers and associations) according to the priorities set out in its ‘Save Water 2019-2024’ programme.

In terms of rolling stock, Alstom will soon begin delivering to Lyon the first of the 35 seven-section, 44-metre-long Citadis required to serve the two new lines and also the future T6 extension.