From 24 September to 23 October the public can preview the tram that will run on the new East-West line, via a full-size model stationed on Place Garibaldi in Nice.
The colour channels the pigments used to decorate Niçois frontages, as on Place Masséna and the Matisse Museum; the glossy bodywork reflects the local environment. Last January the Métropole Nice Côte d’Azur's inhabitants – to be exact, 44% of the 14,886 who voted – chose the red-ochre option from the three colours suggested by French designer Ora-ïto. He has conceived these trams as an architectural summary of our Mediterranean city, drawing on its dual Italian/Niçoise culture to design a tramway in which the concept of the traditional limewash is transposed into hi-tech machinery. And hi-tech it most certainly is, since the Métropole will be served by Alstom's latest-generation Citadis trams, the X05 model that is the first ever to recharge in 20 seconds from a ground-level power supply at each stop; additionally the trams' brake power is harnessed to help power them. Such innovations make these trams 35% more economical to run. At 44m long they can carry 300-plus passengers in greater comfort, with 40% more glazing, wide individual seats, improved accessibility via double doors at regular intervals, and real-time video surveillance. From 2018 the East-West line will potentially take 20,000 cars off the Promenade des Anglais, serving all quarters plus the vital hubs of airport and Arénas, representing some 210,000 people.
Côteweb 2021, création de site Internet sur Nice