(France )STRASBOURG

Images kindly supplied by CTS-Strasbourg. (Thanks)
track on grass	stop at platform

Strasbourg
Strasbourg (located in a strategic geographical position) decided in the early years '90s to realize a modern tramway system, with an innovative rolling stock (ADTranz Eurotram).
In 1994 Line A opened, with a north-south track running from Hautpierre-Maillon (north-west) to the city center (where a tunnel section runs under Gare Centrale railway station) up to the southern areas (passing through the main hospital, the stadium, the university and Baggersee suburb). Line A has been extended in 1998 from Baggersee to Illkirch Lixenbuhllatter.
Line B-C started its operations in 2000; their track is articulated in 3 branches converging in the city center (Place de la Republique). Line B runs south (Lingolsheim terminal, opened in May 2008 after Elsau-Lingolsheim extension) - north (Hoenheim Gare), While Line C connects suoth-western (Elsau) to south-eastern (Rodolphe Reuss terminal, opened in August 2007 after Esplanade-Rodolphe Reuss extension) areas. Line B and C serves many important urban polarities, the tramway depot area (Elsau), the university (south-east), the congress center (north), the suburbs of Schlitigheim, Bischheim (north) and Ostwald, Lingolsheim (south).
Line E opened in 2007 running from Baggersee (south-east) to Robersau Boecklin (north-east), serving the European Parlament.
Line F should open in 2010, as the urban section of a new tram-train line connectin the railway station to Entzheim airport and to Vallee de la Bruche (Gresswiller, Mutzig) and Piemont des Vosges (Obernai, Barr) agglomerations; LRT and tram vehicles will share the existing TER Alsace railway tracks by 2014. Line F will connect Gare (with a new tramway surface stop) to Robersau Boecklin (serving the European Parlament) and Vauban, running along part of Line B-C (Homme de Fer-Republique section) and Line E (Republique-Wacken) tracks.
CTS Strasbourg (official site)

CHRONOLOGY
25-11-1994	Hautepierre Maillon-Baggersee (A)
04-07-1998	Baggersee-Illkirch Lixenbuhl (A)
31-08-1998	Etoile Polygone-Etoile Bourse (D)
01-09-2000	Hoenheim Gare-Republique-Elsau (B)
01-09-2000	Esplanade-Republique (C)
25-08-2007	Esplanade-Neuhof Rudolphe Reuss (C)
25-08-2007	Etolie Polygone-Aristide Briand (D)
25-08-2007	Baggersee-Wacken (E)
23-11-2007	Wacken-Robertsau Boecklin (E)
30-01-2008	Elsau-Ostwald Hotel de Ville (B)
23-05-2008	Ostwald Hotel de Ville-Lingolsheim Tiergaertel (B)

Country	France
Line	Line A, Line B, Line C, Line D, Line E
Inhabitants	City 270.000, District 610.000
Date opening	1994
Future development:	Line F (urban section of a future tram-train line connecting the airport to the city center)
Length (km)	53.7
Track sections	Linea A: 12.6 km; Linea B: 15.1 km; Linea C: 9.9 km; Linea D: 5.5 km; Linea E: 10.6 km ground level, with the exception of a tunnel section under Gare Centrale
Stops	59, average distance m 550
Platforms	--
Platform doors	--
General characteristics	--
n. of vehicles	Bombardier: 53; Alstom: 41
n. of cars per vehicle	Bombardier:3-4; Alstom: 7
Type	steel wheels, bi-directional
Vehicle dimensions (m)	Bombardier: lenght: 33.10 (3 cars), 43.10 (4 cars), width 2.4 Alstom: length: 45.06, width 2.4
Vehicle capacity (pax)	Bombardier: 285 (86 seated) 3 cars; 370 (92 seated) 4 cars Alstom: 288
Frequency	3'/15'
Current/Voltage	750 V DC overhead
Type of guide/gauge	standard gauge rails (1435 mm)
Speed Km/h	Comm 20, Max 60
Accel./Decel. (m/sec2)	--
System capacity	6.000 pphpd
Ridership	--
Total cost	20 M Euro/km
Staff	--
System builder	BOMBARDIER, ALSTOM
Model	Bombardier: Eurotram; Alstom: Citadis 403
NOTE	construction phases: 1994 (Line A), 1998 (Line D), 2000 (Line B, Line C), 2007 (Line E)