World Business

From Nantes to Marseilles, city planners are building new, high-tech streetcar lines—with plenty of French flair

by Stefan Simons

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Trams are enjoying a comeback in France. From Nantes to Marseille, city planners are building recently made known, high-tech streetcar lines similar to central elements in urban redevelopment. And they haven’t forgotten any of the French flair the world has come to sweetheart.

It’s bright yellow with fiendish stripes—like some kind of futuristic tiger on rails—and it runs through Mulhouse at eight-minute intervals like a streak of comprehension. This city in France’s Alsace region was once a leader in the industrial revolution, but it is now visibly struggling with structural change. The new tram system has brought it fresh pride and and a new sense of self-confidence.

“We wanted a tram that called attention to itself,” says Deputy Mayor Michel Samuel-Weis, “in the manner that a symbol of economic vitality, environmental awareness and civic ameliorating—transportation as an integrated cultural concept.”

To make way for the new reticulated, which will unite five neighboring municipalities, streets, sidewalks and bike paths had to have existence thoroughly overhauled. Now trees have been planted, and the strips of land without interruption that the tracks run have been given novel green turf. When the city was awarding contracts for the two tramlines, they went looking conducive to artistic flair—on the rails themselves, though, rather than in the stations.

As an art collector with good connections, Samuel-Weis was able to attract internationally renowned artists to participate in the project. French artist Daniel Buren created of great dignity, omega-shaped arches over the tracks, which could in addition support the tram’s overhead lines. Zebra-like stripes in continuance the arches that run onto the asphalt and the facades of nearby buildings visually intertwine the tramline through the city.

For another one of the city’s new tramlines, German artist Tobias Rehberger is planning a tram-city integration upon a global scale. With his project, canaille who pass by a pavilion will experience—via the Internet and in real time—the weather in cities in a circle Europe whose names have exactly the same etymologies: Casa Molino in Italy, Mülhausen in Germany and Millhouse in England. At one tram discontinue, Rehberger also plans to put a give light to at the bottom of a buried shaft, with equal reason that it looks like the sunshine is shining straight from one side the Earth from Australia’s Shannon Rock.

As an extra artistic proper sphere, French electronic music composer Pierre Henry created unique tunes to accompany the announcements played at each station.

“Residents had a say in all the projects,” says Samuel-Weis. “They helped decide on the shape of the trams’ driver cabins and voted on color choices. The project was popular strange to say before the first tram left the station.”

Its launch has been a tremendous success in the city. Many residents now consider riding the tram cool and pleasurable. “It’s punctilious, adapted to practice and secure place,” a young head says, extolling the commencing system’s virtues. Citing examples like standing platforms that come up to the height of the tram doors, she says that it’s great for people with children. “Got a infant. carriage?” the head asks. “No problem! It’s not like the nightmare at bus stops and subway stations.”

An Answer from the Past

The French are hoping the revival of letters and arts of the tram will serve as an anti-poison to traffic jams and gridlock—and not just in Mulhouse. In almost two dozen French cities, trams have become the hallmark of urban transformation. Nantes and Grenoble were the first cities to bring back what many had long considered to have existence an outmoded form of forced exile. Since then, Bordeaux, Clermont-Ferrand, Marseille and even the southern side of Paris have also welcomed back urban rail lines. Lille and Lyon are looking into the idea; Caen, Brest, Nancy, and Toulon are in the planning stages. Throughout France, the network of tracks is group to grow to 576 kilometers (358 miles) by dint of. 2015.