Tram systems in Aubagne
Aubagne is a Provençal town in the Huveaune valley, approximately 15 kilometres east of Marseille. It lies beneath the Garlaban massif and forms part of the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolitan area.
The town is particularly associated with writer and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, who was born in Aubagne in 1895. It is also known for its longstanding pottery and ceramic traditions, including the production of Provençal santon figurines.
Public transport in Aubagne and the surrounding Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Étoile is provided by a network of local and regional bus services together with the town's tramway. These services form part of the wider La Métropole Mobilité network, although travel on the local Lignes de l'agglo bus and tram network remains free for all passengers.
Aubagne railway station is the principal public-transport interchange. It is served by regional TER trains towards Marseille, Toulon and other destinations along the Mediterranean coast, as well as local buses and the tramway.
Aubagne has one tram line, designated line T, which runs for approximately 2.8 kilometres between the railway station and Le Charrel. The line serves seven stops, including the town centre and the residential districts of La Tourtelle and Le Charrel.
The standard-gauge line opened on 1 September 2014 and is operated using eight Alstom Citadis Compact trams. Aubagne was the first city to introduce this shorter member of the Citadis family. The vehicles carry distinctive artwork created through a collaboration between artist Hervé Di Rosa and Alstom's design team.
Travel on the tramway is free, as it is throughout the local Lignes de l'agglo network.
Aubagne was first connected to the Marseille tramway on 10 January 1905, when route 39 was extended from Saint-Marcel to a terminus on Cours Legrand, now Cours Maréchal-Foch. The largely roadside route was initially single track beyond Marseille and was subsequently doubled during the late 1920s.
A second service, route 40, began operating between Marseille's Gare Noailles and Aubagne on 10 June 1905. Its more direct route proved more popular, and route 39 was cut back to La Penne-sur-Huveaune in 1909.
Route 40 continued to provide the principal tram connection between Marseille and Aubagne until buses began sharing the service in 1950.
The final trams between Saint-Pierre and Aubagne ran on 23 June 1958. Aubagne then remained without a tram service for more than 56 years.
Plans for a new tramway emerged during the early 21st century as part of a wider programme to improve public transport in the Pays d'Aubagne et de l'Étoile. The original proposals envisaged a larger network extending west towards La Penne-sur-Huveaune and east through Aubagne to the Les Paluds employment area.
The first 2.8-kilometre section between Aubagne railway station and Le Charrel entered service on 1 September 2014. Further sections of the original project were subsequently abandoned following a change in local political leadership, leaving the initial section as Aubagne's only operational tram line.
The Val'Tram project will extend tram services northwards from Aubagne railway station to La Bouilladisse. The route will pass through the communes of Roquevaire, Auriol and La Destrousse, largely following the alignment of the former railway through the Huveaune valley.
The project comprises approximately 14.4 kilometres of new route, 11 new stations and five park-and-ride facilities. It is intended to serve around 60,000 residents and attract approximately 15,000 passengers each day. New street-running track connects with the existing tramway in Aubagne, while most of the remainder uses the reconstructed former railway alignment.
Construction began in 2023, and the first testing took place in Aubagne during December 2025. Installation and testing work continued during 2026. Passenger service, previously expected during 2026, has now been postponed until early 2027.
Once completed, Val'Tram will transform Aubagne's short urban tramway into a regional route linking the town with communities throughout the upper Huveaune valley.