Paris Tramway Line T5, France

T5 is a new tramline being laid in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It will operate between Marché station in Saint-Denis (93) and Garges Sarcelles (95) located in the regional councils of Val d'Oise and Seine-St-Denis respectively.

Estimated to cost €163.13m, the T5 is owned and funded by the Syndicat des Transports (Stif, 71.5%), the transport authority of IIe-de-France, the State Region of France (17.2%), the regional council of Val d'Oise (10%) and transit operator Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP, 1.3%). RATP will be the operator and will invest €52m on the rolling stock.

Pre-construction works commenced in 2008 and construction is expected to be completed by the end of 2011. The tramway is scheduled to be operational in 2012 after a six month trial period.

Project

The T5 aims to provide better transportation services to the growing population of the two neighborhoods of Pierrefitte-sur-Seine and Lochères in Sarcelles.

It will serve the five communities of Saint-Denis, Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Sarcelles, Garges-les-Gonesse and Montmagny. It will have interchanges at St.Denis Market on the T1 line, Saint-Denis Basilica on Metro line 13 and at Garges-Sarcelles on Réseau Express Régional (RER) Line D.

Planning and surveying were carried out in between 1999-2004 and the project was publicly announced in February 2005.

Stif approved the preliminary draft in November 2006. Financial agreement was signed between the owners in the second quarter of 2007.

RATP is the prime contractor for the construction of stations, platforms and a maintenance depot for the T5. Stif is the project monitor and coordinator.

The regional councils of Val d'Oise and Seine-Saint-Denis are in charge of the road development and associated public spaces. Their scope of work includes creation of space for roads, sidewalks, parking lots, landscapes, bike lanes and upgrading the intersections and cross walks.

Infrastructure

The T5 tramway will have 16 stations on the route between Marché station in Saint-Denis (93) and Garges Sarcelles (95). Platforms and stations will be situated in the centre of the road.

The stations will be constructed of stainless steel and painted metal and will have transparent glass walls to get an instant recognition of areas dedicated to tram.

Lighting will be integrated into the canopy of each station. Wooden furniture on the station platforms will be supplied by Wilmotte & Associates.

There will be new benches, lampposts, litter bins and new street lighting that will consume less energy.

A 13,000m² depot will be constructed at the site for fleet maintenance. Raised crosswalks and junctions for the pedestrians will be created to provide road safety.

Rolling stock

The T5 will use Translohr STE3 trams. A contract for 15 trams was awarded to Lohr Industries in 2007 with delivery expected in mid-2011.

The Translohr STE3 is a three car tram set that runs on tires. It is 25m-long with a capacity for 127 passengers.

With an axial radius of 10.5m, the trams are suitable for the curvy T5 route. They are equipped with an ABS braking system. The low floor of the trams provides easy navigation for passengers with less mobility.

The trams will cover the entire distance in 22 minutes running at an average speed of 18km/h.

Construction progress

The project requires the relocation of residents, existing pedestrian paths and bus tops. Displacement work began in January 2008 in Valley d' Oise. Similar work in Seine-Saint-Denis commenced in January 2009.

This displacement and relocation required an investment of €40.23m, which was funded by the regional council of Seine-Saint-Denis.

Civil engineering works commenced simultaneously in Val d'Oise and Seine-Saint-Denis in the final quarter of 2009.

Construction of tracks, platforms and site maintenance began in the second quarter of 2010. The site maintenance work at Pierrefitte-sur-Seine in the ZAC Jules Vallès is currently underway.