Guide to Nice’s Tramway

The Nice Tramway, scheduled for completion in autumn 2007, is a major infrastructural project being undertaken by the local government. Phase one of the project has one line, 8.7 kilometres long, which forms a 'U' shape and runs from the northern suburbs to the city centre and continues on to the eastern suburbs. Another 4.5 Kilometre will be added to the line in the next year, going to the 'Trinite' area, completing phase one. The Tramway system is expected to have a positive impact on property prices in Nice, as has been already witnessed in similar projects worldwide.

There have been many tramway projects built around the world in the last few years as this mode of transport increases in popularity. A feature of this type of large infrastructural project is the lease of life it gives to the affected areas. In Dublin, a report on the impact of the local Tram line (the LUAS) by DNG estate agents indicated that prices of property within walking distance of a Tram stop increased by 17% above and beyond the average capital appreciation in the city as a whole over a 3 year period. So if the capital appreciation of the city was 10% per annum, totalling 33% at the end of the three years, capital appreciation would be 50% at the end of the three years for areas within walking distance of a Tram stop.

The Tram in figures:

• 28 stops, all within an average of 350 to 400 metres from each other.
• Price of a ticket is 1.30 Euro, the same as a bus ticket
• Tram every 4 minutes at peak times
• 60,000 passengers using the Tram per day
• 3 park-and-ride facilities at the larger stations, offering free parking to Tram users
• 900 trees planted along the Tram lines
• Tram length of 33 metres, with a capacity of 215 people, of which 54 seated
• Top speed of 70 kph, with an average of 18 kph, compared to 11kph average for buses
• 37% of the population (126,500 of 347,000) of Nice within 400 metres of the Tram line
• Tram built at a cost of €407 million

History of the Tram

Nice has already seen the benefits of a Tram network. The 'Tram de Nice et Littoral' ran from 1835 with the last line closed on January 10th, 1953. The American Railroad Company took over the running of the line in 1878 and, by 1903, a Tramway line was in operation between Beaulieu and Menton via Monte Carlo. The 'Tram de Nice et Littoral' was nationalised in 1903 and in 1910;the trams were run by electricity and not steam power. The second world war seriously damaged the line and competition from buses and the automobile reduced passenger numbers dramatically.

Forward to the present day and the local government is promoting public transportation as environmentally friendly, cheap and efficient. Nice already has an extensive bus network and France's rail system is the envy of the world. A tram line will take traffic off the road and offer commuters and tourists alike an opportunity to travel around Nice.