THE FIRST extensions to open under Strasbourg's 2007-08 light rail expansion programme (RG 4.06 p202) were due to carry their first passengers on August 25.
Line C was due to grow by 5 km from Esplanade to Neuhof Rodolphe Reuss, sharing track between Landsberg and Jean Jaurès with a 1·8 km extension of Line D from Etoile Polygone to Aristide Briand.
Also entering service on August 25 was Line E running from Baggersee to Wacken via Etoile Polygone, Esplanade and République. Operator CTS offered passengers free travel from August 25 to 29, so that they could 'discover' the new routes and the restructured bus network.
With five lines and 53·7 km of routes, Strasbourg says that it will have the largest light rail network in France once the programme is complete, increasing capacity by over 80% to handle 300 000 passengers a day. This November is due to see the opening of an extension of Line B from Eslau to Ostwald Hôtel de Ville and of Line E from Waken to Robertsau Boecklin. A further extension of Line B to Lingolsheim Tiergaertel is due to complete the programme in June 2008.
