Tram systems in Tours
Tours is a city in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France, situated on the Loire and Cher rivers. The historic capital of Touraine, it is a centre for exploring the Loire Valley and its châteaux. Its architectural heritage includes Saint-Gatien Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint Martin and the timber-framed buildings around Place Plumereau in the Vieux Tours district.
Public transport in Tours and the surrounding metropolitan area operates under the Fil Bleu brand, combining a tram line with an extensive bus network. The tram provides the principal north–south corridor, while buses serve other parts of the city and neighbouring communities. Tours railway station provides a direct interchange between trams and rail services; the separate Saint-Pierre-des-Corps station is connected to the city by bus and train.
The modern tramway opened on 31 August 2013 and currently consists of a single line, Line A, connecting Vaucanson in northern Tours with Lycée Jean Monnet in Joué-lès-Tours. The route is approximately 14.8 kilometres long and serves 29 stops.
The line crosses the Loire on Pont Wilson and runs through the central shopping area along Rue Nationale before serving Place Jean Jaurès and Tours railway station. It continues through the Sanitas district, crosses the Cher and serves the Deux-Lions district before reaching central Joué-lès-Tours and the residential districts towards its southern terminus. This gives the tram a role linking residential areas, the city centre, railway services and university facilities.
Keolis Tours — Fil Bleu
Keolis Tours operates the tram and bus network under the Fil Bleu brand on behalf of the Syndicat des Mobilités de Touraine, the local transport authority.
Tours’ first tramway opened on 8 July 1877, using horse-drawn vehicles. Steam traction followed in 1889, including services along the Loire to Vouvray. The network subsequently developed into a combination of urban and suburban routes, with electric traction progressively replacing the earlier systems during the early twentieth century.
The original network suffered extensive damage during the Second World War. Destruction of bridges across the Loire and the bombing of the tram depot disrupted operations, while ageing infrastructure and vehicles made recovery difficult. Although services continued after the war, the remaining tramways were replaced by trolleybuses and motor buses. The last tram ran on 14 September 1949. Trolleybuses survived until 1968, after which the public transport network was operated entirely by motor buses.
Ideas for restoring a segregated public transport corridor emerged during the 1970s, but the modern tramway project took shape in 2007. Its principal purpose was to replace the busy Fil Bleu bus corridor linking northern Tours with Joué-lès-Tours, where services were regularly affected by overcrowding. The definitive route was made public in 2009.
Construction began in 2010, involving utility diversions, track laying, new tram infrastructure and extensive changes to streets and public spaces. The project was conceived as an urban renewal scheme as well as a transport investment, giving the north–south corridor a coordinated architectural and landscape identity.
Line A opened on 31 August 2013, restoring tram services to Tours after almost 64 years. The new route linked Vaucanson in northern Tours with Lycée Jean Monnet in Joué-lès-Tours, serving the city centre, Tours railway station, Sanitas and Deux-Lions along the way. Its opening was accompanied by a reorganisation of the Fil Bleu bus network around the new tram corridor.
Tours currently has 1 tram line, which is listed below.
| Line | Description |
|---|---|
| A | Line A runs between Vaucanson and Lycée Jean Monnet via Tours city centre, Gare de Tours, Sanitas, Deux-Lions and Joué-lès-Tours centre. |
Tours has a conventional steel-wheel tramway built to 1,435 mm standard gauge. The current network comprises a single, approximately 14.8-kilometre line with 29 stops, running between northern Tours and Joué-lès-Tours. The route operates at surface level, combining reserved track, grassed sections and paved track through central streets and pedestrian areas.
Significant structures include Pont Wilson across the Loire and a dedicated crossing of the Cher linking the Sanitas and Deux-Lions districts. The infrastructure accommodates double-ended trams, allowing vehicles to reverse at the termini without turning loops.
The line is electrified at 750 V DC, with overhead wires supplying most of the route. A distinctive feature is the approximately 1.8-kilometre wire-free section between Place Choiseul and Tours railway station, including Pont Wilson and Rue Nationale. Here, Alstom’s APS ground-level power supply delivers electricity through a segmented conductor rail between the running rails, avoiding overhead wires in the historic centre.
Line A is operated by 21 Alstom Citadis 402 trams, introduced for the network’s opening in 2013. These are seven-section, double-ended vehicles approximately 43.7 metres long and 2.4 metres wide, with a fully low-floor passenger area. Air conditioning and audible and visual passenger information are provided throughout the fleet.
The trams have a distinctive reflective exterior designed to mirror their surroundings, with vertical lighting strips at each end. Their electrical equipment supports both overhead collection and APS operation, allowing them to pass between the two power-supply systems along the route.
For the second line, 19 CAF Urbos trams have been ordered, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027. These vehicles will be approximately 42 metres long, accommodating around 280 passengers, including 76 seated. Batteries will enable operation without overhead wires on designated sections, while a reflective exterior will maintain visual continuity with the existing fleet.
The tram fleet is based at the Centre d’Exploitation et de Maintenance on Rue Daniel Mayer in northern Tours, near the Vaucanson end of the line. The site provides tram storage and maintenance facilities and houses the central control room used to supervise operations.
The maintenance centre was designed to accommodate future network expansion. Adaptation works form part of the second-line project, enabling it to maintain and stable the new CAF fleet alongside the existing Citadis trams.
A second tram line is being developed between Prieuré Saint-Cosme in La Riche and Papoterie in Chambray-lès-Tours, passing through Tours and Joué-lès-Tours. The approximately 12.5-kilometre route will serve 22 stops, improving access to Bretonneau and Trousseau hospitals, the Grandmont university campus and residential districts in the south of the metropolitan area. Connections with Line A are planned at the Liberté–Charcot interchange and Verdun.
Preparatory construction and utility diversions began in summer 2025. The official programme targets entry into service around 2028, although the timetable remains subject to change and opening could extend into 2029.
The project includes 19 new CAF Urbos trams, with deliveries scheduled to begin in 2027, and adaptation of the existing maintenance centre in northern Tours to accommodate the expanded fleet. New park-and-ride facilities at both termini will support interchange between cars and the tram network.