Paris, the new T10 line and the “tram lumiére” by Alstom

There are still important new developments in public transport services in the Paris region of l’Ile de France. The extension of line 11 to the east of Paris, with 6 new stations, is already planned, and a new tramway line has been inaugurated as planned. This is the T10 line, 8, 20 km long, opened to the public on Saturday 24 June 2023.

The new line connects Antony, a town of 63,639 inhabitants in the Hauts de Seine department, to the Jardin Parisien district of Clamart, via Chatenay – Malabry and le Plessis – Robinson. The T10 runs through four municipalities and has 13 stations including terminuses.  

Very important are the interchanges. At the La Croix de Berny terminal in Antony, users can use the RER (Reseau Express Regional) line B and the Tvm bus,  a BHNS line (Bus ad Haut Niveau de Service, with its own route) linking Antony to Rungis and Creteil, which stretches about 20 km, with 32 stops, serving 7 communes; in 2019, it was the busiest line in Europe, with 23 million travellers carried.  The second interchange is planned at the Hopital Beclere station, with the Translohr T6 line.

The T10 line is expected to be used by at least 25,000 passengers per day. The service operates every day from 5.30 a.m. to 1.30 a.m., with crossings every 6 to 8 minutes during peak hours on weekdays, every 10 to 12 minutes during off-peak hours, every 15 minutes in the evening hours.

Alstom for Paris tram network

The rolling stock chosen was the Citadis X05 model, a latest-generation tram produced by Alstom and already in operation on the T9 line. 2.65 metres wide and 45 metres long, it can carry up to 314 passengers.

Very elegant and practical is the design created by the Alstom Advance & Creative design teams, the Saguez & Partners agency and Île-de-France Mobilités, designed to give the vehicle as much artificial and natural light as possible; the latter is ensured by the large windows provided, which cover 45% of the vehicle’s total surface area.  A particular design feature is the light line that characterises the entire vehicle, both inside and out, and which has led to the Citadis X05 being identified as a ‘tram lumiere’.  A red line of light illuminates when the doors close, a green line of light is activated when the doors open, and the white line is active when the vehicle is in motion.  This solution was chosen from three variants proposed to the population of Ile de France during a public consultation. The body is painted white with light blue stripes. The lighting is 100 % LED and the air conditioning system saves at least 25 % of the overall energy consumption. The materials in the vehicle are 99 % recyclable.

There are also large multimedia screens for dynamic route planning, USB sockets and bench seats.  The floor is naturally lowered along the entire length of the tram.

The first units will be delivered for the T10 line from September 2022. The 13 Citadis delivered were produced at the La Rochelle plant, Alstom’s world centre of excellence for trams, in coordination with seven other sites out of Alstom’s sixteen, which were involved in the tram’s production: Ornans for engines, Le Creusot for bogies, Tarbes for modules and equipment, Valenciennes for interiors and service activities, Villeurbanne for on-board electronics, Aix – En – Provence for the tachymetric part and Saint – Ouen for design.

«We are delighted today to see the arrival of the Citadis ‘lumière’ tram on the T10 line and to offer a new reliable, comfortable, elegant and modern transport solution to the inhabitants of Hauts-de-Seine», said Jean-Baptiste Eyméoud, President of Alstom France.