Le Mans first extended tram in service for 24-hour motor race

In the French city of Le Mans, car 1006, the first of the 34 Alstom Citadis tram to be extended to 44m, entered service on 10 June in a new midnight blue livery to differentiate it from the orange 32m trams. It increases passenger capacity by 85, representing a 40% increase, and 22 out of 35 stops on the system have been extended to cater for the new length. On-board technical systems such as video surveillance have been modernised. The work on 1006 was carried out by Alstom at its factory in La Rochelle, but the remaining 33 trams will be extended at the SETRAM workshop by Alstom technicians, The lengthened tram was already carrying passengers as crowds descended on the city for the famous 24-hour motor race. The EUR 57M contract, signed in 2024, will be fulfilled by the end of 2027. 

 

The Le Mans tramway was opened in November 2007 and two lines cover 18.8km, carrying 13.3M passengers/year. A first-generation tramway was operated in the city from 1897 until 1947.