The first new low-floor Alstom Citadis tram is set to begin service on Paris’ T7 line after being handed over to city authorities.
The tramset is the first of 70 were ordered in January 2011 for lines T7 and T8.
The T7 line is 11.2 km long and will serve 18 stations between the municipalities of Villejuif and Athis-Mons from the end of 2013.
A further 20 light rail vehicles are projected under the second tranche of the contract for use on the T8 line between Saint-Denis to Epinay-sur-Seine and Villetaneuse.
The RATP will eventually have the largest inventory of Citadis trams in the world, with 145 tramsets, including 60 for the T2 line (Porte de Versailles – Pont de Bezon), 46 for the T3 line (Pont de Garigliano – Porte de la Chapelle) and 19 and 20 for the T7 and T8 lines respectively.
To date, more than 1,600 Citadis trams have been sold to nearly 40 towns and cities throughout the world, including more than 800 for 20 towns in France.
Last year, the Citadis tram set a new record, with a new vehicle rolling off the production line every 18 hours in 2012.
