- Lille tramway
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Tramway de Lille 
Info Locale Lille, Nord-Pas-de-Calais Transit type Tram Number of lines 2 Number of stations 36 Operation Began operation 1909 Operator(s) Transpole Technical Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) System map 
Lille tramway is a tramway system located around the city of Lille, France. It is often called the Mongy, after Alfred Mongy, the engineer who created the interurban lines that make up the current system.
The current tram system consists of two interurban tram lines, connecting central Lille to the nearby communities of Roubaix and Tourcoing, and has 45 stops. The lines were built at the same time as the boulevards linking Lille to its two neighbours, and the lines run on reserved track within the boulevards for most of their length.[1][2]
The first tram line in Lille was built 1874, and the electrification of the town system started in 1897. The current interurban lines were built in 1909. While most urban lines in Lille were abandoned after 1950, the Mongy remained in service as the backbone of the public transport network of the TCC, the predecessor of Transpole. Whilst the expansion of the Metro initially threatened the trams, they were kept in service.[2][3]
The line originally terminated in the street outside the Opéra de Lille, but was diverted into a tunnel and underground terminus at the Gare de Lille-Flandres, thus offering interchange with both lines of the Metro. The line was renovated between 1991 and 1994, and new low floor trams were provided. The lines are built to metre gauge and are electrifed at 750 volts DC.[2][3]
The tram system is operated by Transpole, the public transport operator for the Lille Métropole. Transpole also operates the Lille metro (a two line underground and elevated VAL system) and 68 urban bus routes, all of which share a common ticketing system.
See also
- Transportation in Lille
- Trams in France
- List of town tramway systems in France
References
- ^ "Travel & Transport". La mairie de Lille. Archived from the original on 2008-01-31. http://web.archive.org/web/20080131220539/http://www.mairie-lille.fr/sections/site-en/Lille_pratique/travel-transport. Retrieved 2008-02-18.
- ^ a b c Based on a translation of the article Transpole from the French Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
- ^ a b Based on a translation of the article Transpole from the German Wikipedia. Retrieved on 2008-02-19.
External links
- (French) Transpole official website
Urban guided transit systems in France Métros PresentTramways PresentPlannedFormerAvranches · Bordeaux · Cannes · Caen · Grenoble · Deauville · Fontainebleau · Le Havre · Lyon · Nantes · Nice et Littoral · Paris · Rouen · Saint-Romain-de-Colbosc · Strasbourg · Valenciennes · VersaillesGuided buses PresentPlannedDouai · ParisUrban funiculars PresentFormerBesançonUrban cable cars PresentGrenoblePeople movers PresentSee also: Transport in France, List of railways in France, Trams in France, and Railways in FranceCategories:- Transport in Lille
- Tram transport in France
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