New extension of tram line 15 extension in Geneva

From 10 December 2023, the Geneva tram network, operated by TPG, will be extended in the direction of the French border. In fact, is now open for operation the new 2.7 km extension of the diametral line 15 from Grand-Lancy to the Plan des Ouates industrial zone (ZIPLO) with four new stops: Curé-Baud-Le Rolliet, Cherpines and ZIPLO (terminus).

The extension, which will take approximately 7 minutes, will connect the Lancy, Plan Les Ouates and Confignon neighbourhoods to the Léman Express network, thanks to its connection to the Lancy Pont Rouge station, and will provide a quality service to both the existing housing and industrial areas and the new residential complexes scheduled to be built by 2030. 

Passages on the new route will be every 4,30 minutes at peak times. The first departure from ZIPLO is at 4.27 a.m. every day of the week, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m., every 5-6 minutes on all days of the week, in the evening hours the frequencies drop to an average of 6-8 minutes, and on Friday and Saturday evenings the service is scheduled for 24 hours, according to the new TPG policy.  Line 15 now runs in a total of 38 minutes.

The current Line 15 was opened for operation between Nations and Pont Rouge on 15 December 2004.  To date, Line 15 is the third busiest line in the Geneva network. In 2015 alone, it carried 12 million passengers. The line now employs the most modern rolling stock in the fleet, from Stadler Tango to Bombardier Cityrunner, both bi-directional.

Line 15 does not stop there. An extension to the French town of St Julien-En Genevois, just over the border, is planned. After the Perly Douane stop, there will be two intermediate stops, St. Julien Mossigen and St. Julien Centre, before terminating at the St. Julien railway station on the Bellegarde-Annemasse- Evian Les Bains line, thus providing fast access to both the centre of Geneva and the industrial area.

The neighbourhood communities have welcomed the introduction of this new public transport offer, which will support their economic and demographic development. For Plan-les-Ouates, the arrival of the tram had been awaited for many years and is considered necessary to improve the municipality’s public transport service, whether for the residential areas near the Route de Base, the industrial zone or the various schools. This extension of the tramway line is also the cornerstone of the development of the Rolliet district, with a stop located in the immediate vicinity.

by Stefano Alfano