SYSTRA WINS THE CONTRACT FOR LINE B OF THE TOURS TRAMWAY

As a key player in the design of the first line, SYSTRA was much appreciated for line B! We are proud to have been awarded the general project management contract in a consortium with Safège (Suez Group) and the architecture firms Urbanica and L’Heude.

With the project set for completion at the end of 2025, the clock is already ticking for SYSTRA, which will first have to carry out the design studies for the line before supervising the works and then the tests and trial runs.

Line B will link La Riche to Chambray-lès-Tours along a west-south-east axis crossing the centre of Tours and serving the entire south-western quarter of the Tours metropolitan area.

Transforming mobility, redesigning the urban landscape

Several emblematic locations in Tours will be redesigned with the passage of the tramway, including the Place Jean-Jaurès and the Boulevard Béranger, where the trains will run alongside the famous flower market. In the south, the tramway will replace the ‘2 Tempo’ bus rapid transit service by transforming its exclusive right-of-way into a landscaped platform.

Line B will serve major centres in the city such as the Regional University Hospital, the Tours business school, the town hall, and a future eco-district on the outskirts. This structuring project involves the reorganisation of the surrounding bus networks to provide more efficient service to the areas as close as possible to users’ needs. ​

An artistic tramway

The Tours tramway network is known for its trains, designed by Daniel Buren, which reflect the waters of the Loire. The trams and platforms share the same aesthetic references, which make this line instantly recognisable. It also employs the most advanced technologies, such as ground-level power supply (APS), which SYSTRA implemented for the first time in Bordeaux.

In 2021, many tramway design contracts will come to an end,” notes . “One year after the municipal elections, the local authorities are in a position to translate their promises into action, and tramways, which will take almost a whole term of office to build, are a priority. The French sales teams are ready, and we hope that this success in Tours will herald more good news!

www.systra.com