Citadis is a class of low-floor trams developed by France based transportation company Alstom. It is built on a standard platform which can be easily customised.
The tram operates at an average speed of 70km/h and is capable of running on multiple electric power systems with or without overhead cables.
Citadis is manufactured at Alstom’s plants in La Rochelle in France and Barcelona in Spain.
It is the most preferred tram in France and other European regions as it provides low purchase and maintenance cost even to small fleet operators.
More than 1,500 Citadis trams are operating in 29 cities as of 2011.
Citadis trams design and features
Citadis comes with 70% and 100% low-floor versions. The length can be extended from a coupled two-car to a maximum of seven-car sections.
Around 80% of the components are standardised while the exterior and interior can be modified as desired by the operator.
The tram is available in 20, 30 and 40m lengths. The width varies from 2.3m to 2.65m. Depending on the number of sections, the tram can carry between 220 to 500 passengers each trip.
The bogies, sub-systems and traction are standardised technical components. Ergonomically designed seats and on-board surveillance and information system also form part of the basic features.
Two shock absorbers are installed in the front-end of the cab to protect the driver in case of accidents. The other common safety feature is the detector that monitors the driver’s movements.
If the detector does not sense any movements in the driver’s cabin or does not receive any response, the tram automatically comes to a halt.
Variations of Citadis’ tram family
The Citadis family comprises of more than seven versions.
The Citadis 100, 301 and 401 types are the partial low-floor trams running in Poland, Orléans and Montpellier.
Citadis 301 and 401 run in Dublin as well. The length of the trams used in each of these cities is, however, different.
Citadis 202 is a designated C class and 100% low-floor tram operating in Melbourne, Australia. It is just 33cm above ground level and runs in two sections.
It is customised and has an integrated brake control with a sensor system that needs to be pressed every 30 seconds. If the action is not performed, then the tram comes to a halt.
Citadis 302 is the standard type and is mostly operated as a five-car section. Citadis 402 is a seven section tram running in Bordeaux, Dublin, Grenoble, Paris and Dublin. Citadis 403 has a modified end bogie specifically designed for the city of Strasbourg in France.
Citadis X-04 is a 100% low-floor, three-car tram. It is designed for central and east European cities, and is manufactured at Alstom’s Konstal plant in Istanbul.
Citadis was introduced as Regio-Citadis in Germany. It is built on a tram-train concept which allows the trams to run even on rail-tracks. Regio-Citadis has a dual power engine that can run on both diesel and 600v DC. A hybrid version of Regio-Citadis operates on non-electrified lines too.
Citadis-Dualis is a variant of Regio-Citadis. It is designed to run at a top speed of 100km/h. It has more spacious interiors with modern designs and layout.
Orders and deliveries
Alstom won the order for the custom design and supply of ten Citadis trams from Sytral, the transport authority of Lyon, in April 2011. The new tram will be 43m long and capable of carrying 400 passengers.
It will be designed based on the already existing fleet of 73 trams currently operated by Sytral. The trams will operate on the new T3 line which connects Part-Dieu Villette.
In June 2011, the metropolitan authority of Greater Bordeaux placed a €80m order for the supply of high-capacity Citadis trams. The contract also includes an option for additional five to 30 tram sets. The trams are expected to be delivered by 2013.
In February 2011, Alstom delivered the last tram to the railway procurement authority of Dublin. The order was placed in 2007 for the supply of 18 additional trams to serve Luas light rail extension in Dublin. Dublin now has a total fleet of 66 Citadis trams.
An order to supply 37 Citadis trams was received from Metropolitan Municipality of Istanbul in September 2007. Of these, 14 trams were put to test on the Zeytinburnu-Kabatas and Zeytinburnu-Bagcilar lines in February 2011 while the remaining will be put into operation by the end of 2011.
One of the major orders received was in 2007 from the French railway operator SNCF for supply of 200 Citadis-Dualis tram-trains.
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