French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance
for Singapore
Bruno VANTU and Dominique HURBIN
Abstract
In the mid-80s, a new transport concept emerged in French cities based on the Light Rail
system. This model has since spread all over the territory with 25 cities now equipped
with modern tramways operating a network of more than 700 km. It has brought about
new practices of travelling resulting in an increase of public transport modal shares and
a re-appropriation of public spaces so that Light Rail Transit (LRT) is now associated with
the image of modernity, aesthetics, social equity and high quality of urban life. The
French LRTs’ success story can be an interesting showcase as it has proved to be a flexible
system and a concept that is widely exportable on all continents.
A Brief Look Backwards in Time
Figure 1: Tramways have disappeared from French
cities St Etienne – 1978
The Saturation of the Car Dependant
Model
After having been one of the most important
urban
means
of
transportation
in
the
beginning of the 20th century, tramways
almost completely disappeared from French
cities with the growing use of private cars and
the development of more reliable buses in the
1930s. Up till the 1970s, priority was given
to the car industry and road infrastructures
Photo by: B.L. COLL-M.L
led to a car-oriented urban development,
in which public spaces were forsaken and
suburbs spread out in a dispersed pattern. As
a consequence, urban France was plagued
with traffic congestion and pollution; causing
longer trips for commuters, decreased quality
of urban life and social exclusion for those
unable to afford a car.
The Emergence of a New Urban Transport
Concept based on LRT System
A renewed focus of urban and transport
planning concepts was required in order to
tackle 2 major issues:
1. The recovery of city centres
2. A response to mobility needs integrating
sustainable development
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
Figure 2: Grenoble and its urban highway – cours Vallier
LRT systems (reserved right-of-way, attractively
designed low-floor vehicles, efficient safety
system, priority at crossings and traffic lights)
the case of Strasbourg presents all the factors
that have fostered the revival of LRT in France:
urban renovation, re-assignment of road space
limiting the area dedicated to private cars and
restoration of public spaces; all encouraged by
a strong political will.
Convinced that their commitment towards
Photo by: Ville de Grenoble
In the 1980s, a few cities (Nantes, Grenoble,
then Strasbourg) succeeded in getting tramways
back. In addition to the main features of modern
urban modernisation could be embodied in
such a transport project, many cities since then
have implemented the “French style LRT”.
Table 1: Main characteristics of French style modern LRT
Characteristics
Technology or concept
Benefits
Accessibility
Low floor tram, a major innovation in
the mid 80’s.
Social equity, attractiveness
City centre connection
Short radius allowed by articulated
trains, limited trains length (40m)
Revitalising city centres commercial areas
compared to suburban commercial centres.
Creates social link between urban areas
Pedestrian friendly.
At grade insertion
Light rail system, with grooved rail
which allows embedded rail in platform
and easy road crossing. Green vegetal
platform has also been developed.
Signalling system and running on sight.
High potential of intermodality with
walk, bus.
Safe & efficient road sharing with cars
and pedestrians.
Facilitates the integration of safe
cycle lanes.
Opportunity for urban renovation and
embellishment
Comfort
Rail based and guided system
More attractive than buses, image
of modernity
High commercial speed
Platform segregated from cars, absolute
priority at crossings
Attractiveness, increase modal share for
public transport
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
Figure 3: Various platform finishing
Photo by: Egis
Figure 4: Embedded rail & platform structure
Source: Egis
A Better Quality of Life offered by
« The French style LRT »
Promoting New Practices of Travelling
The implementation of a LRT not only improves
the public transport service by introducing
a fast, comfortable and reliable transport
solution (thanks to the segregated right-ofway and priority at crossings), it also promotes
other sustainable alternatives to the exclusive
use of private cars for urban journeys. This
is achieved by the adoption of joint policies
such as:
•
Redesigning the existing public transport
system to feed the LRT and achieve a
more visible, integrated, understandable
structure
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
•
•
Limiting the number of parking spaces in
Furthermore, the LRT is a user-friendly mode
city centres and providing park and ride
which enhances the accessibility to central
facilities at the outskirts of congested
activities and improves conditions for disabled
areas
passengers or travelling with children, prams,
Sharing space with pedestrians and
luggage, etc.
cyclists in car-free zones
•
Integrating bicycle access and parking at
stations or developing pedestrian-friendly
zones.
LRT systems are the missing link between
Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) and buses, and
present the advantage of travelling through
pedestrian areas without generating air
pollution and noise.
LRT systems are the missing link
between Mass Rapid Transit (MRT)
and buses … which enhances the
accessibility to central activities and
improves conditions for disabled
passengers or travelling with
children, prams, luggage, etc.
Figure 5: Re-assigning road space
Source: Egis
Revitalising Urban Spaces
LRT is also the opportunity to recreate, renovate
Figure 6: Pedestrian-friendly zones enhancing the
commercial attractiveness of the city center
and upgrade public spaces, which is vital to
develop the prosperity of commercial and
cultural activities. The quality of urban space
can be enhanced by the streetscaping decisioncarry out while the LRT is being constructed.
The launch of LRT lines is usually linked to the
development of a car-free zone in city centres
which offers an eco-friendly and comfortable
way of travelling.
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Photo by: Egis
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
Despite the inevitable loss of trees, the
Figure 8: Orleans’ catenary-free historical center
systematic restoration of lines planting
and grassed track surfacing contribute to a
greener city.
Figure 7: Lyon’s LRT, a “garden line”
Photo by: Egis
The French style LRT is not only a transport
investment but also integrates major urban
development ambitions, contributing to city
growth and socio-economic dynamism. Urban
regeneration projects and densification around
LRT stations, landscaping along the line
and improvement of transport performance
contribute to making the areas served more
attractive. As an added effect, this leads to real
estate development and the creation of new
housing, offices and commerce along its path.
Figure 9: Montpellier’s LRT is part of a new urban
and commercial development
Photos by: Egis
Some technical innovations, such as the
ground-fed current collection that replaces
Photo by: Egis
the catenary, also benefits the preservation
The LRT as a Jewel for Towns
of the architectural and historical heritage of
Each LRT is unique and has its own design,
city centres. Super-capacitor LRTs are also new
often becoming a symbolic feature of the urban
technologies that can reduce infrastructure
landscape and giving a strong positive image
footprint in the city.
to the city. Many creative design professionals
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
cooperate to deliver a transport object that not
Certain LRT projects are used as a showcase
only responds to functional needs but also
for artistic inventions, with artworks dotting
takes aesthetics into account. Lyon has been
the route or at stations (Angers, Mulhouse
one of the first cities to start to customise
and Tours).
the design of its rolling stock. Some cities
have since then called upon artists and dress
Attractive signage, original street furniture,
designers, as is the case in Montpellier with
quality track surfacing materials, are all
its famous LRT designed by Christian Lacroix.
trademarks of the “French style LRT”. The
signature of the LRT ranges from a design
Each LRT is unique and has its
own design, often becoming a
symbolic feature of the urban
landscape and giving a strong
positive image to the city. Many
creative design professionals
cooperate to deliver a transport
object that not only responds to
functional needs but also takes
aesthetics into account
Figure 10: Montpellier’s LRT designed by Christian
Lacroix
conveying a strong unique identity through
common recognisable features along the
line, to a “chameleon” design which aims to
achieve maximum integration into the local
urban fabric. Some larger stations display an
emblematic structure which helps to create a
symbolic centrality point. Extensive examples
can be found in the excellent encyclopedia
written by François Laisney, “L’atlas du Tramway
dans les villes Françaises”.
The Characteristics of today’s French
Tramway
The Fruits of Success
In the last 30 years, nearly 30 French cities
and agglomerations among the major French
conurbations have integrated a LRT network,
whether as the backbone of their public
transport system or as a complement to
Photo by: Egis
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“heavier” modes.
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
Table 2: Implementation statistics of modern LRT in French agglomerations
City
Saint-Etienne
Population
391 000
Nantes
582 000
Grenoble
398 000
Paris region
11 780 000
Number of
lines
Network
length
(km)
Number
of
stations
Daily
Trips
First
opening
3
11.7
37
53 000
1881*
urban lines: 3
44.3
84
274 000
1985
tram-train: 2
64.0
18
NA
2011
4
35.4
63
210 000
1987
urban lines: 6
74.2
137
725 000
1992
tram-train: 1
7.8
11
35 000
2006
Strasbourg
457 000
6
40.7
72
300 000
1994
Rouen
486 000
2
15.4
31
67 000
1994
Montpellier
406 000
4
56.0
84
282 000
2000
Orleans
274 000
2
29.7
40
70 000
2000
Nancy
265 000
Lyon
1 281 000
Caen
227 000
Bordeaux
708 000
Mulhouse
173 000
Valenciennes
194 000
Clemont-Ferrand
1
11.1
28
50 000
2000
urban lines: 5
61.1
85
260 000
2001
tram-train: 1
22.0
4
5 600
2010
2
15.7
34
39 000
2002
3
43.9
89
282 000
2003
urban lines: 3
19.8
29
60 000
2006
tram-train: 1
22.0
18
NA
2010
2
18.3
47
33 000
2006
287 000
1
14.0
31
57 000
2006
1 038 000
2
11.5
28
53 000
2007
Le Mans
194 000
1
15.4
29
48 000
2007
Nice
530 000
1
9.2
22
90 000
2007
Toulouse
700 000
1
14.3
24
30 000
2010
Reims
219 000
2
11.2
23
45 000
2011
Angers
271 000
1
17.0
20
34 500
2011
Brest
221 000
1
14.3
28
35 000
2012
Marseille
Dijon
251 000
2
20.0
37
72 000
2012
Le Havre
258 000
2
12.5
24
50 000
2012
Tours
295 000
1
14.0
29
45 000
2013
Aubagne
104 000
2
11.0
19
16 000
2014
Besancon
177 000
2
14.5
31
50 000
2014
Avignon
186 000
2
14.4
25
45 000
2016
* St-Etienne’s line T1 is the oldest tramway remaining in France and has been functioning continuously
since its opening. The old rolling stock was replaced in 1991 by modern tramcars.
Source: CERTU, Centre d’Etudes sur les Réseaux, les Transports, l’Urbanisme et les constructions publiques
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
Figure 11: Evolution over 20 years of LRT infrastructure realised in France
500
450
Total length achieved (in km)
400
350
300
250
200
150
100
50
19
9
0
19
91
19
92
19
93
19
94
19
95
19
96
19
97
19
98
19
99
20
00
20
01
20
02
20
03
20
04
20
05
20
06
20
07
20
08
20
09
20
10
0
Source: CERTU, Centre d’Etudes sur les Réseaux, les Transports, l’Urbanisme et les constructions publiques
In all those agglomerations, the LRT has made
the journeys made on active, non-polluting
it possible to increase both the proportion
modes (walking or cycling). This benefits the
and the efficiency of public transport, with
overall road network which is thus much less
significant passenger gains immediately after
congested.
the first years of opening.
Between 2000 and 2010 in France
The modal share of urban journeys has
Number of cities with LRT x 2
changed in favour of public transport, reducing
Number of km of LRT X 3
the use of cars in city centres, and increasing
Ridership of LRT x 4
Table 3: Examples of the impact of LRT on the total ridership of the public transport network
City
LRT start of
operation
Ridership
before LRT
Ridership 2012
Increase
Yearly average
progression
(in million trips/year)
Grenoble
1987
35.4
76.9
+ 117%
+3%
Strasbourg
1994
42.4
113.9
+169%
+6%
Montpellier
2000
28.8
67.2
+133%
+7%
Bordeaux
2004
54.7
117.4
+115%
+10%
Source: Egis
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The LRT has also accelerated the transformation
their smaller size, these agglomerations have
of cities by embellishing public spaces and
a smaller potential for investments. It is thus
enhancing their image and quality of life (less
important to design a transport system that
noise and pollution, more trees and green
meet their mobility needs with the same urban
areas, more pedestrian space and new urban
quality but at optimised costs, which can be
landscapes).
achieved by choosing more compact rolling
stock adapted to their smaller capacity needs.
On a social register, it has democratised
the mobility system by reducing the social
The LRT is a progressive mode that can be
disparity between car owners and public
adjusted to urban dynamics and to changes in
transport users; and by linking and opening up
mobility patterns (lengthening of trains / stations,
isolated, disadvantaged neighbourhoods. It
increasing headway, shortening services).
has become a popular mode of transportation
that conveys a positive and cohesive image.
LRTs can also be used as tram-trains and serves
as tramway in the city centre and as light MRT
The LRT has also accelerated
the transformation of cities
by embellishing public spaces
and enhancing their image
and quality of life ... it has
democratised
the
mobility
system by reducing the social
disparity between car owners
and public transport users; and by
linking and opening up isolated,
disadvantaged neighbourhoods.
to quickly reach remote areas. For instance,
the RhoneExpress line in Lyon is a tram-train
linking Lyon’s city centre and airport 22 km
away in less than 30 minutes. It can reach
100 km/h outside the city and integrates the
urban network with running on sight.
Therefore, the modern LRT has a high ability to
adapt to a wide variety of contexts and needs.
Complementing the LRT with a
Metro Network – The Paris Case
A Scalable and Flexible System
The city of Paris is famous for its dense
Nowadays, efforts are made to develop existing
metro system that serves the French capital.
networks in order to increase the connectivity
However, the wider area around the Paris
of the city centres as well as extend the LRT
region represents a population of almost
network to suburban areas.
12 million inhabitants in which the public
transport system is mainly radially oriented.
The French LRT is also getting implemented in
Since the 1970s, the need of connecting
smaller towns that did not have any structuring
suburbs has been increasingly flagrant and
urban transport network. Taking into account
important efforts have been dedicated to
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French LRTs’ Success Story, Relevance for Singapore
implement the regional rapid transit Réseau
city limits, substituting for a saturated bus
Express Régional (RER) system, combining
line, reshaping the peripheral boulevards and
central underground rail sections and pre-
creating a successful complementary network
existing suburban rail lines. The urge to
to the metro.
transversally connect those radial lines has
historically brought face to face two opposite
Metro and LRT are fully complementary and
visions, one favouring speed and mass transit
the recent priority given to the development
capacity (adapted to a MRT system) and the
of an underground orbital rail line rapidly
other favouring density of service and urban
connecting suburban development poles and
enhancement (conveniently brought by LRT).
extension of existing metro lines (the Grand
Paris metro project) does not interfere with the
Modern LRT thus returned to the Paris region
LRT expansion. In 2013, two additional lines
with two suburban lines opening in 1992 and
were launched in the southern and northern
1997, which main objectives were to create
suburbs (6.6 km and 11.2 km respectively),
circular connections inside suburbs, connect
making the current LRT network 83 km long.
commuters to the main Metro & RER radial
Almost 70 km of additional LRT lines are
lines and also give structure to the urban
planned to be delivered within the timeline of
fabric of the areas served. Ten years later, a
the Grand Paris metro network development.
third & fourth line were opened inside Paris’
Table 4: Characteristics of the different Public Transport modes in Paris region
Mode of
transport
Length of routes
(in km)
Number of lines
Production ([train
or bus] *km in
million)
Metro
219
16
48.6
RER
601
5
42.7
Suburban train
884
8
28.7
65
4
4.7
Tramway
Bus inside Paris
Ridership
(trips in million)
1 541
1 189
115
597
64
42.7
335
Bus suburbs
22 717
1 338
542.0
953
Total PT modes
25 083
1 435
709.4
4 133
(Data OMNIL 2012)
Source: SDIF
It is interesting to consider from these figures that the LRT shows a very good ratio of ridership
versus km of infrastructure.
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Figure 12: Planned development of metro [left] and LRT lines [right, in dark green] as per Paris regional Urban
Mobility Plan
Source: PDUIF 2012
Conclusion: A Model that is being
Exported
The
“French
model”
has
become
Figure 13: Perspective view on Orchard Road,
Artist impression of a LRT
an
international showcase and is already being
exported around the world, as evidenced by
the cities of Casablanca, Porto and Dublin,
among many others. More than a public
transport system, each LRT project is a unique
opportunity to reweave the urban fabric,
Photo by: Egis
make significant improvements in the city’s
quality of life and to link all populations.
Figure 14: Perspective view on South Bridge Road,
Artist impression of a LRT
One could easily imagine such success
transposed to Asia Pacific cities, creating a
new mobility layer between MRT and bus
lines and re-investing city centres with soft
mobility. LRT integration would be a great
opportunity for streetscape renewal, for a
smarter city centre with enhanced urban
Photo by: Egis
living and travelling experience.
Acknowledgement
We would like to thank Nicolas Bonvalet and Francoise Guillerault for their contributions to this paper.
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References
Groupement des Autorités Organisatrices de
Transport (GART). 2012. ”L’année 2012 des
transports urbains.”
Observatoire de la mobilité en Île-de-France
(OMNIL). 2012. “Characteristics of the different
Public Transport modes in Paris region.”
Kaminagai, Yo. 2014. ”Tramway Une école
Française.” Exhibition by « le lieu du design », Paris,
France.
Plan de déplacements urbains d’Ile-de-France
(PDUIF). 2012. ”Planned development of metro and
LRT lines as per Paris regional Urban Mobility Plan.”
Laisney, François. 2011. ”L’atlas du tramway dans les
villes françaises, Editions Recherches.”
Transport Collectifs Urbains (TCU). 2010. ”Analyse
des évolutions 2000-2009 dans les réseaux de
transports collectifs urbains, CERTU.”
Le renouveau du tramway en France. 2012.
”Ministère de l’écologie, du développement durable
et de l’énergie.”
Bruno Vantu has over 30 years’ experience in infrastructure projects
in Asia, the Middle East, South America and France. More than 15 of
these years are in mass transit related projects where Bruno has been
responsible for the concept and detailed design; through to design
and interface management.
He has held key managerial positions in his 30 years of experience
including director of an Egis Rail subsidiary and before CEO of his
own design engineering company. Bruno is often called upon (as a
technical expert) for lectures at international conferences and training.
He is actually the CEO of Egis Rail Pte Ltd (Singapore).
Dominique Hurbin has 15 years’ experience in transportation
infrastructure. He has been involved in the design of major LRT
networks in France such as Grenoble, Strasbourg, Lyon. He has
a dual education in engineering and MBA and he is now head of
functional studies department at Egis Rail. Egis is a leading company
in transportation infrastructures and has designed & put in operation
more than 1000 km of modern LRT in France & abroad during the
past 30 years.
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