Rouen TFS trams no. 815/809 north of Saint-Sever Station. Photo by Peter Ehrlich, March 2006.

Overview

Rouen, the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historical capital of Normandy, has a population of 107,000 residents, and a metropolitan area population of over 518,000. Its original tram system folded in 1953, and the new two route system, termed a "Métro" although technically a light rail service, opened in 1994, serving central Rouen and three southern suburbs. The system was the third in France to acquire Alstom's then-revolutionary TFS (Tramway Français Standard) 75% low-floor trams by ordering 28 "rames" (units), following Grenoble and Paris's line T1. The system operator is TCAR (Transportes en Commun de l'Agglomeration de Rouen).

Station By Station

Rouen's tramway system begins in central Rouen, on the north bank (or "Rive Droite") of the River Seine with an above-ground station at Boulingrin. It plunges into a subway, with stations at Beauvoisine, Gare-Rue Verte (with direct access to the SNCF railway station), Palais de Justice and Théâtre des Arts. From there, it rises to the surface and crosses the River Seine on the east side of Pont Jeanne d'Arc. The tracks then alternately run on surface and through short tunnels, stopping at Joffre-Mutualité and Saint-Sever Stations. The latter is the transfer station between the branches to George Braque and Technopôle. The lines separate in another tunnel south of Saint-Sever, where the Technopôle route curves to the left (southeast).

The route to George Braque (the lines are not numbered or lettered, as tram lines in other French cities are) continues straight southwesterly along Aves. de Caen and Jean Jaurès, through an older neighborhood of Rouen as far as François Truffaut stop with mostly street running, thence south into the suburb of Petit-Quevilly. At Charles De Gaulle station, the system's depot is located about 100 meters east. Continuing on to George Braque, the line runs on grassy side-of-road reservation through modern neighborhoods, taking on a somewhat roller-coaster character enroute. At the terminal, a single crossover leads to the terminal station, with a track for disabled cars alongside.

The Techopôle line is longer and more interesting. Between Europa and Hôtel de Ville-Sotteville, it's street running most of the way, and the sights include an open-air market. At Hôtel de Ville-Sotteville Station, a massive cantilever canopy covers both tracks. Then the line winds its way through the suburb of Sotteville-les-Rouen, occasionally in the center of streets and sometime in side-of-road reservation, passing several parks (including Le Parc in St.-Etienne-du-Rouvray), finally reaching Technopôle. Unlike George Braque, cars unload passengers, head into a pocket track and change directions before heading to the inbound platform.

At the moment, there are no plans for expansion.

Service and Fares

Service on weekdays, daytime, is every 10 minutes on each branch, with a combined 5-minute headway from Saint-Sever northward. Frequencies increase during rush hours, and drop off at nights and on weekends. Single-ride tickets are EUR 1.30; one, two or three-day unlimited ride tickets are EUR3.70, EUR5.40 and EUR7.00 respectively. Tickets are purchaseable from machines at each station and must be re-validated on board the trams with each ride taken.

Only little more than an hour away from Paris (Gare St.-Lazare), Rouen and its trams are well worth a visit.

Photo Gallery

Five Random Images
Image 48835 (197k, 864x574) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Hôtel De Ville-Sotteville	Image 48837 (220k, 864x556) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: George Braque	Image 48849 (163k, 864x574) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Crossing River Seine	Image 48858 (170k, 864x574) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Charles De Gaulle Depot	Image 48864 (166k, 864x574) Photo by: Peter Ehrlich Location: Champ de Courses

Page Credits

By Peter Ehrlich.