FRANCE: The first of eight Citadis TBB trams ordered for the future Brest Line B has been unveiled at Alstom’s La Rochelle factory.
The Citadis TBB trams are being delivered under a joint framework order placed in 2023 by the transport authorities of Toulouse (nine trams), Brest (eight) and Besançon (five, plus three more ordered in June 2025).
The first of the TBB trams was delivered to Besançon in June, and deliveries to Brest are scheduled to begin in August for entry into service with the opening of Line B in February 2026.
The five-section Citads 305 trams are 32·5 m long, 2 400 mm wide and 3 350 mm high. They have a capacity of 201 passengers, and feature 2+2 seating, wheelchair spaces, air-conditioning, CCTV, LED lighting and passenger information screens. The maximum speed is 70 km/h.
Brest tram Line B
Bibus-branded transport services in Brest are operated under contract by RATP Dev, with tram Line A carrying 35 000 passengers/day. The tramway is being expanded under the Mon Réseau Grandit project, the most important element of which is the creation of Line B.
This will run for 5·1 km from the main station to Bellevue and Hôpital Cavale Blanche with four bridges, 11 stops and a journey time of 17 min. Almost 25 000 passengers/day are expected to use Line B.
The €225m Mon Réseau Grandit project is being funded by Brest Métropole, the French government, the Bretagne région, the Brest city mayor, the European Union and the Agence de l’Eau Loire Océan.
The new trams will be maintained by RATP Dev at the Porte de Plouzanné depot alongside the existing 20 Citadis 302 trams supplied by Alstom in 2011-12.
