Nantes-Châteaubriant tram-train line inaugurated

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French authorities have reopened a single track railway between Nantes and Châteaubriant after 34 years.

SNCF president Guillaume Pépy and the French Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault attended the inauguration of the 64-kilometre tram-train system in the Pays de la Loire region on February 28.

SNCF placed a framework order in 2007 with Alstom worth €650 million for 200 Citadis Dualis tram-train units, with 31 trainsets earmarked for the Pays de la Loire and Rhône-Alpes regions.

The Pays de la Loire region has since exercised an option on the order, taking the total number of new vehicles to 24.

The first 10 vehicles went into service on February 28. However, Citadis Dualis trams are already in use on the Nantes-Clisson line which is operated by Semitan.

France’s Public Establishment of Railway Safety (EPSF) suspended the Dualis tram-trains safety certification last year following the derailment of a vehicle delivered under the original framework order in West Lyonnais. Alstom regained its certification at the start of 2014.

Passengers will be able to travel free of charge for the first three days of operation.

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