Tram systems in Montpellier
Montpellier is a university city in southern France, in the Occitanie region near the Mediterranean coast. Its historic centre, known as the Écusson, contains narrow medieval streets and largely pedestrianised squares. Beyond the centre, districts such as Antigone and Port Marianne reflect the city’s more recent expansion.
Trams form the backbone of Montpellier’s public transport network, complemented by bus services connecting neighbourhoods and surrounding communes. Rail connections are available at Montpellier Saint-Roch and Montpellier Sud de France, both served by Line 1.
Travel on TaM buses and trams is free for residents of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole who hold a valid Pass Gratuité. Visitors and other passengers without this pass require a paid ticket or subscription.
Montpellier has five tram lines. Lines 1, 2 and 3 provide routes through the city centre to outer districts and neighbouring communes, while Line 4 follows a circular route around the centre. Line 5 links Clapiers with Grés de Montpellier, serving university and hospital areas in the north and residential districts to the southwest.
The network’s latest major additions opened in 2025: Line 1 was extended to Montpellier Sud de France station in October, followed by the opening of Line 5 in December.
Montpellier currently has 5 tram lines, details of which can be found on the Lines tab.
TaM — Transports de Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole
TaM operates Montpellier’s tram and bus network on behalf of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole.
Montpellier’s first tram network opened in July 1880 using horse-drawn vehicles. It connected the railway station, streets around the historic centre and destinations including Castelnau-le-Lez and Boutonnet. Financial difficulties brought this short-lived system to an end in February 1883.
Trams returned in December 1897 with the opening of the first electric services. The network subsequently expanded to serve routes around and through the centre, the hospitals and outlying districts. After the Second World War, the ageing system was progressively replaced by buses, with the final tram services withdrawn in 1949.
The modern tramway was inaugurated on 30 June 2000, ending a gap of more than fifty years. Its first line linked Mosson with Odysseum, passing through the university and hospital districts, the city centre, the railway station and Antigone. The blue trams decorated with white swallows became a distinctive feature of Montpellier’s streets.
Line 2 opened in December 2006, connecting Saint-Jean-de-Védas with Jacou through Montpellier and Castelnau-le-Lez. Its brightly coloured floral livery continued the practice of giving each line a recognisable visual identity. Line 1 was extended farther into the Odysseum shopping and leisure district in 2009.
Lines 3 and 4 entered passenger service in April 2012. Line 3 linked Juvignac with branches towards Lattes and Pérols, while Line 4 initially followed an incomplete circuit around the centre. Their introduction also brought changes to the existing network, including a more direct central route for Line 2 and an extension of Line 1 to a new Mosson terminus.
The missing western section of Line 4 opened in July 2016, completing the circular route through the Peyrou and Jeu de Paume areas.
On 21 December 2023, free travel on the tram and bus network was extended to all residents of Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole holding a valid Pass Gratuité.
Two major network additions followed in 2025. On 18 October, Line 1 was extended from Odysseum to Montpellier Sud de France station, providing a direct tram connection between the city’s two principal railway stations. On 20 December, Line 5 opened between Clapiers and Grés de Montpellier, adding a new corridor through the northern university districts and southwestern neighbourhoods.
Montpellier currently has 5 tram lines, which are listed below. To see more information about a particular line, click on the link in the table below (where applicable).
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Line 1 runs between Mosson and Gare Sud de France via Hôpitaux-Facultés, the city centre and Odysseum. |
| 2 | Line 2 runs between Jacou and Saint-Jean de Védas Centre via Castelnau-le-Lez and Montpellier city centre. |
| 3 | Line 3 runs between Juvignac and the 2 branches to Lattes Centre and Pérols Étang de l’Or via Montpellier city centre and Gare Saint-Roch. |
| 4 | Line 4 is a circular route around Montpellier city centre via Gare Saint-Roch, Peyrou, Corum and Hôtel de Ville. |
| 5 | Line 5 runs between Clapiers and Grés de Montpellier via the university district, the historic centre and Montpellier’s western neighbourhoods. |
Montpellier’s tramway is a conventional steel-wheel system using standard-gauge track of 1,435 mm. Trams receive 750 V DC electricity from overhead wires through roof-mounted pantographs. The infrastructure includes reserved alignments with grassed track alongside sections integrated into the city’s streets.
Several lines share tracks through the central area, allowing interchange between routes and alternative routings during engineering works. Although much of the network is double-track, sections of Lines 2 and 3 use single track with passing places.
The established fleet comprises Alstom Citadis 401, 302 and 402 articulated trams. The original Line 1 vehicles were delivered as shorter Citadis 301 units and subsequently lengthened to become Citadis 401s. Later deliveries introduced the shorter Citadis 302 and longer Citadis 402 types.
CAF Urbos 100X trams entered the fleet in 2025 for Line 5 and the wider fleet renewal programme. These seven-section vehicles are approximately 43 metres long, accommodate around 300 passengers and have a low floor throughout. They include dedicated wheelchair spaces, passenger information screens and heating and air-conditioning controls designed to reduce energy consumption.
Montpellier gives its tram lines distinctive artistic identities. The original designs represent the four elements: white swallows on blue for Line 1’s air theme, flowers for Line 2’s earth theme, underwater imagery for Line 3 and a golden sun-inspired design for Line 4. Garouste and Bonetti designed the first two liveries, while Christian Lacroix designed those for Lines 3 and 4.
Line 5’s green trams carry a botanical design by Barthélémy Toguo, reflecting the parks and green spaces along the route.
A new Hauts de Lattes stop is planned on the Lattes Centre branch of Line 3, between Soriech and Cougourlude. It will serve the developing Hauts de Lattes neighbourhood, with opening currently anticipated in 2027. TaM published a works tender including construction of the stop in September 2026.
In September 2026, Montpellier Méditerranée Métropole, Pays de l’Or Agglomération and Mauguio-Carnon signed an agreement to launch studies into a public transport link to Montpellier-Méditerranée Airport. An extension of the tramway is the preferred option, with an extension of Line 3 among the scenarios being considered.
The project remains at the study stage, with the route and funding arrangements still to be established. The authorities have indicated a possible opening around 2032, subject to the necessary studies, approvals and financing.