Sytral Mobilités presented this Monday its express tramway project for the west of the metropolis of Lyon, an area still very poorly served.
This semi-buried tramway would leave from Jean-Macé and connect Point du Jour in less than 15 minutes, before resurfacing and continuing west.
Considered more economical and faster to build than the metro, this project will be subject to consultation from 2023. But it will not be delivered before 2031, in the best case scenario.
The cable car project being dead and buried, serving the west of Lyon will not be done in the air, but underground.
At least, in part.
This Monday, Sytral Mobilités presented its new public transport project: an express tram for the west of the metropolis, half underground, starting from the Jean-Macé station, in the 7th arrondissement.
This new line “responds above all to a need for mobility in the 5th arrondissement, and more broadly in the west of the metropolis”, recalls Bruno Bernard, president of Sytral Mobilités and of the metropolis, presenting the first route.
“The line would connect Jean-Macé to the Alaï/Liberation sector in less than 20 minutes, Point du Jour to Jean-Macé in less than 15 minutes, Alaï/Liberation to Perrache in less than 15 minutes.
The other advantage of this proposal is to easily reach Perrache, T1 and T2, or line B,” says Bruno Bernard.
Up to 60,000 travelers per day envisaged
In the 5th arrondissement, “between the Saône and Ménival, two underground stations are planned to serve Saint-Irénée or Charcot/Saint-Luc then the Point du Jour”, specifies the presentation document.
From there, "the tram will resurface and may be extended, depending on the consultations, in Tassin, Craponne...", adds Bruno Bernard.
A potential metro line E is therefore once again ruled out in favor of this new kind of tramway, chosen to combine "the performance of the metro in the tunnel and the finesse of service of the tramway on the surface", according to the aforementioned document. .
As for the capacity, “it will depend on the frequency”, continues Jean-Charles Koolhaas, vice-president of Sytral.
“But that's also the advantage of the tram: we can adapt its frequency according to real needs.
Just with a frequency of 5 minutes, we can transport 60,000 passengers per day.
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A less expensive option to finance other projects
“It's an efficient solution, faster than a completely underground metro,” assures Jean-Charles Koolhaas.
“Above all, it will be less expensive: between 700 and 750 million euros, whereas the E metro would have cost 5 billion euros.
“However, after two years of futile consultation around the cable car, “the objective is to go fast,” he admits.
Bruno Bernard insists on the interest of the savings made: "The fact that this project does not burden the financial capacities of Sytral leaves us margins to allow other complementary offers", he promises: "Another advantage of the tram, is that it is easier to prolong.
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Like the others, this project will be subject to consultation with the elected officials and citizens of the municipalities concerned, in 2023. Several routes will be presented.
Depending on the results, the preparatory work is scheduled for the end of 2026, and the delivery for the fall of 2031. In the meantime, the inhabitants of the west will still have to favor their car.
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Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes