The Île-de-France region in France has opened its latest tram route with the 20km T12 Évry-Courcouronnes to Massy-Palaiseau line.
The tram connects 16 stations in 12 towns along the route in the north Essonne area and is expected to carry 40,000 passengers a day with a tram every 12 minutes in rush hour.
Costing €295m ($317.9m), the project included constructing 10km of new track between Épinay-sur-Orge and Evry-Courcouronnes, with the other 10km being run on existing track, and the purchase of 25 new Citadis Dualis four-section trams from Alstom.
Situated in the area south of Paris, the line connects to the city’s RER network via the B, C and D lines and will link to the new Tzen 4 bus route in 2024 before eventually connecting with the new line 18 of the Grand Paris Express metro.
It is part of a wider campaign of improving rail links in the area, including the new Line V rail shuttle service between Massy-Palaiseau and Versailles Chantiers, replacing the current large RER C loop.
Additionally, France's national passenger rail operator SNCF Voyageurs, which is operating the T12 line with public transport company Keolis, highlighted the upcoming line 15 in Ardoines and extra trains brought in to serve the Vallée de l’Orge region.
Alongside the interconnectivity of the region, accessibility and sustainability have also been a focus of the rail projects, with the new T12 line boasting 100% accessibility at its stations and the use of more environmentally friendly rolling stock, a cycle path was also constructed along the whole 20km of the line.
