WESTERN FRANCE TOUR 2012 - TOULOUSE

Toulouse has a two line automatic VAL metro, a suburban railway line and since 2010 a tramway feeder line to the interchange and Aeroconstellation (Airbus factory).

End of the line at Arenes interchange

Progress towards city centre

Promise of more to come

Scheme and timings for progress

Leaving Arenes

En route at Pasteur

Ralais

Depot at Aeroconstallation

WESTERN FRANCE TOUR 2012 - BORDEAUX

Although opening only in 2003, Bordeaux is already one of the biggest tramway systems in France.  There are now 3 lines and further extensions should bring the network to approximately 80km by 2017. APS is on all three routes in the centre as well as in Merignac at the western end of the A.

Crossing the Garonne bridge towards Stalingrad

Porte de Bourgogne

On way to Terres Neuves

On way to Les Aubieres

At Quinconces

Claveau terminus

WESTERN FRANCE TOUR - NANTES

Haluchere showing the connection extension Recteur Schmitt to Ranzay on Lines 1/2

The crossing at Commerce

Trams passing on way to Jean Jaures stop

Sorry about the quality of some of the photos, problem remedied after Nantes

WESTERN FRANCE TOUR 2012 - ANGERS

This 12.5 km new tramway opened in June 2011. There is some non-pantograph running through the centre and towards the end of the line at Avrille Ardenne.

Pretty ceiling patterns

Crossover in the centre of town at Rolliement just before the hill down towards Les Gares.  Acacie to Bascule is run on battery.

On the crossover at Rolliement

Looking down the hill from Universite

New depot between Vernou and Terra Botanica

Lots of corners

Sorry about the picture quality.  The camera developed a fault which wasn't noticed immediately.

WESTERN FRANCE TOUR 2012 - BREST

The new tramway in Brest opened on 23 June 2012 with a route length of 14.3km, 28 stops and 20 Citadis cars    Tram in Place Liberte

New purpose built depot

Route map

New tramway and traffic bridge

Trams entering and leaving bridge

Sorry some of these photos are not up to scratch as camera developed a fault not noticed immediately.

GLASGOW RIVERSIDE TRANSPORT MUSEUM by David Gambles

LISBON ON A RAINY SUNDAY 21 OCTOBER 2012 by Luis Viera

NOSTALGIC?? COPLAWHILL WORKS from Martin Miller

I had to go to Glasgow for a Heritage Railway Association meeting and thought I would go and see how Coplawhill Works had survived since the fateful day we took possession of 1297. It was a lesson in never go back! The photos show the works and the entrance to the Barrland Street Permanant Way depot where David Hitchin and I saw the last eight Coronation Cars being extracted in November 1962 before their demise. We did have a drive though!

It was fifty years ago but sitting in the cafe of what has become The Tramway arts venue you could still hear the ghosts.

BERGAMO AND MILANO SEPTEMBER 2012 from Martin Miller

Bergamo has a fairly new light rail route linking it with Albino using an old railway formation. There are plans for further growth but I suspect they are on hold during the economic problems. Milano remains a real tramway town with street running which, if you half close your eyes, is as close as it can be to Glasgow or Sheffield some 50 years ago.

 

First visited Bergamo and then Milano where I managed to get permission to enter the Deposito Messina - this is the St Pancras of the tramway world!

 

Bergamo

Bergamo interior

Deposito Messina