Grenoble tramway

The Grenoble tramway (French: Tramway de Grenoble) is the tram system in the city of Grenoble in the Rhône-Alpes region of France. In 1987, Grenoble became the second French city to reintroduce trams, the first being the Nantes tramway. The current network is 35-kilometre (22 mi) long, and comprises five lines: lines A, B, C, D and E. Line A was opened in 1987, line B in 1990, line C on 20 May 2006, line D in October 2007 and line E on 28 June 2014.

The tramway is operated by the Société d'économie mixte des transports publics de l'agglomération grenobloise (SÉMITAG) on behalf of the Communauté d'agglomération Grenoble Alpes Métropole, the intercommunal structure linking the commune of Grenoble and its suburbs. SÉMITAG operates its services, which includes local bus services as well as the tramway, under the Tag brand.

History

The Historic Tramway of Grenoble was a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge urban and suburban electric tramway network from the Grenoble region of France. It was created in 1894 and operated by the société grenobloise de tramways électriques, which has today entirely disappeared. At this time of industrial and demographic growth, the old Hippomobile modes of transportation, fiacres and omnibuses, established since the end of the 18th century, were no longer sufficient to ensure smooth transport in cities. The urban and suburban lines developed continuously until the 1920s. At this point there were three main operators: the Société grenobloise de tramways électriques, which operated the urban lines; the Voies ferrées du Dauphiné, which served from Grenoble, the Left Bank of the Isère up to Froges as well as the valley of l'Oisans; and the tramway Grenoble - Chapareillan, which linked the center of Grenoble to Chapareillan and serves the whole Right Bank in the valley of Grésivaudan.