Rhônexpress

Rhônexpress

Overview
Locale	Lyon, Rhône-Alpes, France
Transit type	Express tram/Express train
Number of lines	1
Number of stations	4
Operation
Began operation	9 August 2010
Operator(s)	Rhônexpress
Number of vehicles	6 Stadler Tango trainsets
Technical
System length	23 km (14 mi)
System map Project area for Rhônexpress (T3 tramline in green)

Rhônexpress is an express tram/express train line which links central Lyon, France, with its airport, Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport, and the TGV train station located there. The passage from the airport to the city's business center at Part-Dieu Villette (Lyon-Part-Dieu railway station) by way of Vaulx-en-Velin – La Soie (transfer to Metro Line A) and Meyzieu ZI lasts roughly half an hour. It opened on 9 August 2010. The Conseil général of the Rhône franchised the operation of this line for 30 years to Rhônexpress, a consortium including Vinci SA (28.2%), Veolia Transport (28.2%), Vossloh Infrastructure Service (4.2%), Cegelec Centre Est (2.8%) and the Caisse des dépôts et consignations.

The route is served by six tram trainsets, which were built by the Swiss manufacturer Stadler Rail. The route has a length of 23 kilometers (14 mi) and it takes 29 minutes to go from Part-Dieu to the airport; service is every 15 minutes at peak times. The project included building 8.5 kilometers (5.3 mi) of new track, while remainder of the route runs along the tracks of the existing T3 tram line, which is built with passing tracks to allow express service. The service is independently run and is not a part of the TCL system, although it appears on TCL maps.

Rhônexpress uses the infrastructure of the line T3 built by Sytral (in French, Syndicat mixte des Transports pour le Rhône et l'Agglomération Lyonnaise) up through Meyzieu (a hub for commuters with a large surface parking lot available). From there, all the track used was built specifically for the Rhônexpress all the way to Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport. There are four stops: