Tramway de Saint Etienne
Alsthom-Vevey tramcar at the semi terminus of Châteaucreux
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| Overview | |||
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| Native name | Tramway de Saint-Étienne | ||
| Locale | Saint-Étienne, Rhône-Alpes, France | ||
| Transit type | Tram | ||
| Number of lines | 2 | ||
| Number of stations | 37 | ||
| Daily ridership | 92,000 (2012) | ||
| Operation | |||
| Began operation | 4 December 1881 | ||
| Operator(s) | STAS | ||
| Technical | |||
| System length | 11.7 km (7.3 mi) | ||
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge | ||
| Electrification | 600 V DC overhead line | ||
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The Saint-Étienne tramway (French: Tramway de Saint-Étienne) is a tram system in the city of Saint-Étienne in the Rhône-Alpes (France) that has functioned continuously since its opening in 1881. The first tramway line was steam-operated and was opened by the Chemins de Fer à Voie étroite de Saint-Étienne (CFVE) on 4 December 1881, stretching for 5.5 km between La Terrasse and Bellevue. The CFVE took over the Compagnie des Tramways Électriques de Saint-Étienne lines and discontinued the use of steam in 1912.
Lines with small patronage were replaced by trolleybuses in 1932 with all but one line closed in 1956 as a result of the impossibility of running these buses on the busiest line of the network. The decision to keep the tramway in the 1950s saw the introduction of the famous PCC tramcars to replace 1932 rolling stock and the Vevey-Alsthom tramcars in 1991-1992. The system is operated by the STAS.
The Saint-Étienne tramway now runs from Hôpital Nord to Solaure after an extension of the original line from Bellevue station to Solaure in 1983 and from La Terrasse station to Hôpital Nord in 1991, with a length of 9.3 km. The old terminals are now where some trams turn back during peak hours and others continue to Solaure and Hôpital Nord.
A line from Cinq-Chemins de Terre Noire to Saint-Jean-Bonnefonds opened in 1907 and closed on 1 April 1932 after being replaced by a bus service. Lines from the town centre to Le Pertuiset, Saint-Genest-Lerpt and Roche-la-Molière opened between 1907 and 1909. A second line to supplement the main route opened in 2006 to serve the Chateaucreux station.
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