A new tram line in Saint Etienne

Saint-Etienne Métropole called on ETF, the railway contractor, to create a new tram line. It will connect the historic T1 line, created in 1881, and the T2 line, created in 2006, to serve the Châteaucreux district and the SNCF railway station. This new 4.3 km line will include the creation of six new stations and the renovation of two existing stations. It will serve the Soleil neighbourhood, the Zénith, the Technopole industrial district and, last but not least, the legendary Geoffroy Guichard stadium. Although construction work on the line itself will take place from September 2018 to March 2019, ETF’s major urban projects teams have been working since April 2018 on the work to connect with the existing lines. Most of the track will consist of a double-block sleeper floor, while a quarter of the track will be mounted on plastic saddles and cast on stringers. This special feature will allow the tram to run on a green track with real grass. It is this unique feature that led ETF to form a consortium with Eurovia Drôme Ardèche Loire Auvergne (Saint Etienne Agency), ID Verde and Sols Loire Auvergne. This will enable the entire infrastructure to be built in these specific areas, from the earthworks to the turfing after the track has been laid. Another distinctive feature of this route is its winding nature. Around a quarter of the rails will have to be bent by ETF Luxembourg. In total, this project will require approximately: – 11,000 bi-block sleepers – 18 km of linear rails – 3,000 m3 of plant substrate – 12,150 m3 of concrete