It’s an understatement to say that they were expected. For the first time, this Tuesday, travelers took their seats aboard the new trams of line T1, between Asnières-sur-Seine and Noisy-le-Sec (Seine Saint-Denis). This new equipment, called TW20, must gradually replace the aging trainsets put into service when the line was created in 1992. A welcome facelift for this line on the verge of saturation.
Among the first users to board the 4 new trains in circulation, Olivier immediately notes a change: “It is more spacious, it is less crowded than before”, he emphasizes. Comfort offered by the four additional meters of the new trams. They can thus accommodate 15% more passengers. But the satisfaction is short-lived, upon arrival at the station “Saint-Denis Market”the train overflows. “There is a little more space but it’s not enough”over Sépharine.
“Jurrasic tram”
Another change: the multiplication of information screens, the arrival of air conditioning and the lowering of the floor to make it easier for a wheelchair or stroller to enter. A “change of times”, is satisfied the PS president of the department, Stéphane Troussel, who recalls the nickname which this saturated line ended up inheriting: “Jurassi tram”. “The new equipment will restore dignity to users and attractiveness of the line”continues the elected official.
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Because the T1 suffers from its success and its 170,000 passengers transported on average every day. A number which should be increased to 230,000 once the extension to the east, between Noisy-le-Sec and Val-de-Fontenay (Val-de-Marne), is completed in 2029.
The arrival of the 37 new trains should therefore bring a first breath of fresh air. But for real improvement, we will have to wait three more years, according to Jean Castex. “In 2027, we will receive 28 additional trains which should make it possible to achieve an interval of 4 minutes between two trams during rush hour”explains the CEO of RATP.
This would be a revolution for the region's first tram line, whose performance is currently at half mast. The frequency of a tram every five minutes is difficult to maintain due to traffic difficulties and the obsolescence of the equipment.
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