Aubagne Tram

[HSTEd]

I've read in various places that a town of ~46,000 in France called Aubagne is building a tram network?

Does anyone know how such a small town hopes to support a tram system and what it is costing, as well as any general information about it?

Thanks in advance for any info as public sources in English seem rather sparse.

(NOTE: Can I get this moved to International Transport. Sorry)

 

[starrymarkb]

Well it seems to be planned to connect with Marseille's (16km to the west with no break in the built up area) system eventually so may be part of a grander scheme. Interestingly the entire public transport system of this town is Free at point of use! (in other words no fares are charged!)

 

[eastwestdivide]

Wikipedia in French here: http://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tramway_d'Aubagne
from which:
construction started in Feb 2013,
phase 1 in service during 2014 (Le Charrel- Pôle d'échange d'Aubagne) i.e. connecting with the SNCF station.
Phases 2 and 3 in 2016 and 2019.
Long-term, it may connect with the Marseille tram network.
Aims include modal shift from cars, improving access to some big social housing developments, and encouraging housing development along transport corridors (my take on "application d'une politique de densification de l'habitat le long des axes de transport").
Eight Citadis Compact trams ordered, with an option for 5-10 more.
And like the OP said, free travel, as the local bus network has been since 2009.

 

[HSTEd]

So would such a scheme be a reasonable prospect in comparably sized towns in the UK?

 

[Gordon]

.

Yes the key fact about this tram project is that it will be free.

It was the choice of the local authority to push ahead with this project with finance from a variety of sources and at the same time pursue an environmentally-friendly policy for free travel.

As such it goes against all principals at work in this country so , no I can't see it happening here!

Whether this is financially viable over a long time is not yet proven.

 

[DownSouth]

Interestingly the entire public transport system of this town is Free at point of use! (in other words no fares are charged!)

This is something that more public transport systems should consider.

If the ticketing system's overheads (ticket vending machines and validators, conductors, back office overheads, commissions for third-party vendors etc) are greater than the revenue collected from the tickets, the service should be free to use. The taxpayers would have a reduced burden, paying for just the running of the services without paying extra to prop up a useless ticketing system.

 

[MCR247]

But surely that wouldn't be the case since they would just increase prices?

 

[DownSouth]

But surely that wouldn't be the case since they would just increase prices?

Doesn't work that way, raise the prices to a genuine 'user pays' level and you'll have empty trams sitting around in the depot and the streets filled with cars.

Free public transport in inner city areas with a reliable 365 day service is worth funding properly, along with the other desirable social outcomes it's a simple fact that taxation is a far more efficient way of raising revenue than tickets which have high back office costs.

 

[HSTEd]

So do we have any information on the capital and operating costs of this tram?

The french wiki article doesn't automatically translate very well.

It would be interesting to compare it with the costs of running a high intensity bus operation. (Higher capital costs but comparable staff costs if no ticket charges, and far lower fuel costs).

 

[eastwestdivide]

Translating the wiki article:

Le coût d'investissement est évalué, dans le dossier d'enquête publique, et aux conditions économiques de 2011, à 166,5 millions d'euros, auquel se rajoute un million de surcoût annuel d'exploitation par rapport à celui du réseau de bus.

roughly = 2011 investment cost evaluated in public enquiry at 166.5 million euros, to which is added an additional annual operating cost of 1 million compared to the bus network

followed by:

La réalisation du réseau permet des économies pour la collectivité, valorisées à 8,1 millions d'euros par an à l'échéance 2019 (aux conditions économiques de 2011), qui se décomposent comme suit6 :
Gains de temps des usagers actuels des TC 3,7 M€/an
Gains de temps des nouveaux usagers des TC dont report modal 1,3M€/an
Moindre utilisation de la voiture 2,2 M€/an
Entretien voirie 0,06 M€/an
Environnement 0,6 M€/an
Décongestion 0,3 M€/an

Completion of the network results in savings valued at 8.1 million euros a year from completion in 2019 (using 2011 economic conditions), broken down as:
time gains for current public transport users
time gains for new PT users incl. modal shift
reduced car use
environment
reduced congestion
- respectively (in million euros/year)

 

[starrymarkb]

The first tram has been built - the livery the city have chosen is rather mad!

 

[HSTEd]

So ~€20/yr per resident they have a free to ride ~9km long tram network? (Excluding capital costs obviously, since how would even set the depreciation period on the track?).

I'm assume thats just additional costs compared to the buses it replaces so the figure is rather higher than that.
But even if it were doubled its not that much on council tax.

 

[eastwestdivide]

So ~€20/yr per resident they have a free to ride ~9km long tram network? (Excluding capital costs obviously, since how would even set the depreciation period on the track?).

I'm assume thats just additional costs compared to the buses it replaces so the figure is rather higher than that.
But even if it were doubled its not that much on council tax.

No need to assume,

... auquel se rajoute un million de surcoût annuel d'exploitation par rapport à celui du réseau de bus
...to which is added an additional annual operating cost of 1 million compared to the bus network

it does say additional costs (surcoût) over the bus network (with the unsaid assumption that the trams would replace some bus routes?)

And what a bonkers livery choice. Makes it look like the tram is crammed with one-eye people so there's no room to get on.

 

[jopsuk]

I think that tram livery will haunt my nightmares

 

[HSTEd]

I guess its just the council laughing in the face of vandals who want to put stupid drawings on the side.

 

[ECML180]

Seems strange to me, build a new, clean, high quality tram route and integrate it with a well designed bus network, free at the point of use. This is clearly designed to encourage a good perception of public transport and encourage modal shift. Then they paint it like that!

 

[eastwestdivide]

The livery "explained" here: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/first-citadis-compact-tram-unveiled.html

Contemporary artist Hervé Di Rosa conceived the distinctive livery of the first Citadis Compact tram...
At the roll-out Daniel Fontaine, Vice-President of the region, said it was 'only natural that the livery of the tram - a symbol of modernity and quality of life - should be the combined product of the imagination of a great artist and the creativity of the children of Aubagne'.

- to me that sounds like a one-off livery to gain some attention for the launch.

 

[HSTEd]

Even if we just take the capital cost estimates, that seems to demonstrate that a tram system can be done at reasonable cost.

Just how many kilometres does an average scheme in Britain get for £140m?

 

[ECML180]

- to me that sounds like a one-off livery to gain some attention for the launch.

Well if that's the case it's worked!

Even if we just take the capital cost estimates, that seems to demonstrate that a tram system can be done at reasonable cost.

Just how many kilometres does an average scheme in Britain get for £140m?

Does a deposit on a consultation report count as kilometres?

 

[DownSouth]

The livery "explained" here: http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/first-citadis-compact-tram-unveiled.html



- to me that sounds like a one-off livery to gain some attention for the launch.

It's also not clear as to whether it is a permanent livery or just decals applied over the standard paint scheme.

Applied decals work quite nicely with those Citadis trams, the geometry is very predictable and the window/panel edges very neat with the seals set internally. Alstom actually use the convenience of applying advertising decals as a selling point for the design.