St. Etienne PCC no. 528. Photo by Thierry Leleu, April 1997.

Overview

St.-Etienne boasts the longest-running tram system in France, having opened in 1881. Like other French cities, St.-Etienne retrenched until only line 4, a long north-south route remained in 1952. 30 new single-end PCCs built by La Brugeoise modernized the line in 1958, and five articulated PCCs arrived ten years later.

In 1991, the route was lengthened, and phaseout of the PCCs began with the receipt of 15 Alstom/Vevey single-end, partial low-floor streetcars similar to the double-end TFS trams delivered to Grenoble, Paris and Rouen. Complete retirement of the PCCs was achieved in 1998 with 20 additional Alstom/Vevey trams. There is talk of building more tram lines. Interestingly, the new Alstom trams used trolley poles initially, but were converted to pantograph operation in September 1998 after the PCCs were withdrawn.

Photo Gallery

Five Random Images
Image 62084 (250k, 1044x757) Photo by: Thierry Leleu	Image 62155 (112k, 820x545) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Manufacture	Image 134972 (129k, 560x850) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Solaure	Image 134987 (139k, 850x559) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Centre Deux	Image 134998 (131k, 850x566) Photo by: Bernard Chatreau Location: Terrasse

Photos By Location

Photo locations: Hôpital Nord, Escale, Dépôt Transpôle, Lycée S. Weil, Cité Agriculture, Musée d'Art Moderne, Terrasse, Passerelle, Quartier Grouchy, G. Guichard, Rue Barra, Chaleassière, Manufacture, Eglise Montaud, Augustin Thierry, Marengo, Place Carnot, Grand Gonnet, Jean Jaurès, Gare du Châteaucreux, Dorian, Lycée C. Fauriel, Camille Colard, Place du Peuple, La Charité, Saint-Louis, Rue Gambetta, Saint-Roch, Bouillet Rue, Creuses, Anatole France, Valbenoite, Site Tréfilerie, Centre Deux, Bicentenaire, Gare de Bellevue, Bellevue, Hôpital de Bellevue, Bossuet, Henri Brisson, Solaure, Faculté de Médecine, Clinique du Parc

Page Credits

By Peter Ehrlich.