France: EIB lends EUR 300 million to finance Île-de-France tramway

The EIB, STIF, RATP and various entities under the BPCE umbrella – Caisse d'Epargne Île-de-France, Caisse d'Epargne Rhône Alpes, Crédit Foncier de France, Natixis, Ingepar – today presented a EUR 378m leasing agreement to finance new trams for the T3, T5, T6, T7 and T8 lines.

At the presentation STIF and RATP unveiled the interior and exterior designs of Île-de-France’s new trams.

Philippe de Fontaine Vive Curtaz, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, Jean-Paul Huchon, Chairman of the Board of STIF, Pierre Mongin, CEO of RATP, and Olivier Klein, Retail Banking and Insurance Director of BPCE, welcomed this agreement which will enable STIF and RATP to offer the inhabitants of Île-de-France an even more attractive public transport service.

This innovative financing arrangement totalling EUR 378m with a term of 33 years is the result of fruitful collaboration between STIF and RATP, the EIB and various BPCE entities. It will take the form of two structured lease agreements to finance 107 trams over 33 years.

A long-term loan of EUR 300m will be granted to Crédit Foncier de France from EIB resources. The remainder of the financing will be provided by Crédit Foncier de France, Caisse d’Epargne Île-de-France and Caisse d’Epargne Rhône Alpes.

STIF established the framework for the lease negotiations and is financing this equipment which it will then own in accordance with the ORTF law.

Delivery of the trams began in November (15 for the T5 line) and will continue until 2014. This delivery will include 25 trams for the T3, 18 for the T6, 19 for the T7 and 20 for the T8, i.e. 107 new vehicles.

At the presentation of this financial agreement, the designs of the vehicles for the new tramway lines were unveiled. Each line was treated individually, giving it its own identity based on the areas that it passes through and harmoniously complementing the region’s public transport livery.

There are four tram lines currently operating in Île-de-France. This 41.4 km network has 71 stations and carries 370 000 passengers each day. With the future extension of the T1, T2 and T3 lines and the entry into service of the T5, T6, T7 and T8 lines, the 105.3 km network will carry 830 500 passengers and serve 187 stations.

This deliberate policy to extend the tramway network illustrates STIF’s desire to develop suburb-to-suburb travel links in order to provide services tailored to the needs of the inhabitants of Île-de-France.

The lines that will receive these new trams

• The 14.5 km-long extension of the T3, scheduled to open to the public at the end of 2012, will link Porte d’Ivry to Porte de la Chapelle in two sections, with a connection for Porte de Vincennes. It will have 26 new stations.
• As from next year, the T5 will link Saint-Denis (93) to Garges-Lès-Gonesse (95) on a 6.6 km route serving 16 stations, via Pierrefitte-sur-Seine, Montmagny and Sarcelles. This will be Île-de-France’s first line with trams on tyres.
• Scheduled for 2014, the T6 will link Châtillon-Montrouge (92) – the terminus of line 13 of the Paris underground – and Viroflay (78), passing through 21 stations over 14 km.
• At the end of 2013, the 11.2 km-long T7 with 18 stations will link Villejuif (94) and Athis-Mons (91). The line will be extended at a later date between Athis-Mons and Juvisy-sur-Orge.
• In 2014 in Seine-Saint-Denis, the 8.5 km-long, 17-station T8 will link Saint-Denis, Epinay-sur-Seine and Villetaneuse. A 3 km extension to the future Rosa Parks station on RER suburban line E is under examination.

Following a call for tenders, two manufacturers were selected to supply these trams. Alstom Transport SA’s Citadis 302 (200 passengers, of whom 54 seated) will as from next year be gradually introduced on the T3, T7 and T8 lines. The Lohr Group’s Translohr STE 3 (125 passengers) has been selected for the T5 tramway and its Translohr STE 6 for the T6 tramway (252 passengers).

Four tramways currently in operation in Île-de-France 

• T1 from Noisy-le-Sec to Saint-Denis. Currently under construction, its extension to Asnières-Gennevilliers Les Courtilles will be commissioned in 2012.
• T2 from Porte de Versailles to La Défense. Currently under construction, its extension to Pont de Bezons will be commissioned in 2012.
• T3 from Pont du Garigliano to Porte d’Ivry.
• T4 from Bondy to Aulnay-sous-Bois.

Press kit