6 October - Saint Etienne line 5 : a “Y-shaped” network
As tramways progressively left the streets to allow more space to car traffic after the 1950’s, only three cities in France did not abandon it : Marseille, Lille / Roubaix / Tourcoing and Saint-Etienne. However only in this city the remaining tram line (line 4) has always served the centre of the town, through a North/South main street.
However, the Châteaucreux railway station served by the high-speed train (2h45 from Paris) and the regional rail network TER (50 minutes from Lyon) was not served.
The new tramway line 5 starts from Châteaucreux where a urban project of 250.000 sq.m offices and 400 housings will be developed. The line 5 joins line 4 and then uses the same infrastructure alternatively in both directions, forming a “Y-shaped” tram network.
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Updated : December 19, 2006