Tramway Français Standard
Encyclopedia
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
way systems in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
. It was manufactured by Alstom
Alstom
Alstom is a large multinational conglomerate which holds interests in the power generation and transport markets. According to the company website, in the years 2010-2011 Alstom had annual sales of over €20.9 billion, and employed more than 85,000 people in 70 countries. Alstom's headquarters are...
, the France-based multinational company whose businesses are power generation
Electricity generation
Electricity generation is the process of generating electric energy from other forms of energy.The fundamental principles of electricity generation were discovered during the 1820s and early 1830s by the British scientist Michael Faraday...
and transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
. The TFS is no longer in production, having been superseded by Alstom's Citadis
Citadis
The Citadis is a low-floor tram built by Alstom in La Rochelle, France, and Barcelona, Spain. 1,140 Citadis are currently in use in 28 cities, among others: Bordeaux, Grenoble, Lyon, Montpellier, Orléans, the Paris area, and Barcelona, Dublin, Gdańsk, Katowice, Adelaide, Melbourne, Jerusalem and...
range of tramcars.
Two different models of the TFS were produced, both being articulated
Articulated vehicle
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivoting joint in its construction, allowing the vehicle to turn more sharply. There are many kinds of articulated vehicles, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains...
designs. The first model, the TFS-1, was built for the opening of the Nantes tram system
Tramway de Nantes
The Nantes tramway is a tramway system located around the city of Nantes, France. The first tramway in Nantes opened in 1879 and closed in 1958 due to bombing damage during World War II, while the present tramway was re-introduced to the city in 1985....
in 1985. As built, these were single-articulated 6-axle tramcars with a high floor and steep stepped access from low level boarding platforms. All the tramcars built in this form have since been rebuilt with an added low-floor centre section, thus becoming 8-axle double-articulated cars. Nantes subsequently bought additional TFS-1 trams in this 8-axle configuration.
For the opening of the Grenoble tram system
Tramway de Grenoble
The Grenoble tramway network is 35 km long, and comprises four lines: lines A, B, C and D. Line A was opened in 1987, line B in 1990, line C on 20 May 2006 and line D on October 2007. There previously existed a network of tramways in Grenoble, between 1894 and 1952...
, the TFS-2 variant was created. This was also a 6-axle tramcar, but had a different articulation mechanism with a very short central section carried on a four-wheel truck. This allowed a low floor to be carried through most of the length of the car and between the wheels of the central truck, although the sections over the outer bogies are still at a high level and accessed by three steps from the low-floor section. All the doors are within the low-floor section. The advantages of this layout ensured that all subsequent users of the TFS tramcar have adopted the TFS-2 variant.
Technical data
The tramcars are articulated vehicleArticulated vehicle
An articulated vehicle is a vehicle which has a permanent or semi-permanent pivoting joint in its construction, allowing the vehicle to turn more sharply. There are many kinds of articulated vehicles, from heavy equipment to buses, trams and trains...
s and are 29.4 m (96.5 ft) long and 44.2 tonnes in weight. The cars cannot work as multiple units, although in case of an emergency two cars may be coupled using an emergency coupling system. With one tramcar not functioning, and braking diminished, speed is limited to 10 km/h (6.2 mph).
The tramcars have the following characteristics:
| Length | 29.4 m (96.5 ft) |
| width | 2.3 m (7.5 ft) |
| height | 3.36 m (11 ft) |
| Gross weight | 44.2 tonnes |
| Power | 550 kW |
| Speed | 70 km/h (43.5 mph) |
| Passenger capacity | 52/125 |
Car
The tramcar is built on a chassis 2.3 m (7.5 ft) wide joined by a central chassis on which is assembled a unique pantographPantograph (rail)
A pantograph for rail lines is a hinged electric-rod device that collects electric current from overhead lines for electric trains or trams. The pantograph typically connects to a one-wire line, with the track acting as the ground wire...
. The car has 3 bogie
Bogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s, one on each ends and one below the central portion.
Only the central parts of the cars have a lowered floor, at 34.5 cm (13.6 in) high to enable access to disabled users by four doors. The parts at both ends of the tramcars are built at 87.5 cm (34.4 in) high accessible by a small three-step staircase.
Motors
The two outer bogieBogie
A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. In mechanics terms, a bogie is a chassis or framework carrying wheels, attached to a vehicle. It can be fixed in place, as on a cargo truck, mounted on a swivel, as on a railway carriage/car or locomotive, or sprung as in the suspension of a caterpillar...
s are each equipped with a 275 kW electric motor. This gives the TFS a high acceleration, allowing its use on lines with steep gradients and/or frequent stops, and a top speed of 70 km/h (43.5 mph).
Operation
The TFS tramcar are one-person-operated. The driver is responsible for the closure of the doors. A single lever controls both acceleration and braking. The tramcars are equipped with land-train radios and ICSICS
-Communications and technology:* Image Cytometry Standard, a digital multidimensional image file format used in life sciences microscopy* Industrial Control System* Information and Computer Science, the combined field of informatics and computing...
, infrared SAM and onboard pointwork control.
Fleet
The TFS is used on the tramway lines near ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and in Grenoble, Rouen, Nantes and Saint Etienne.
| Network | Scheme | Year built | Type | Number of cars | Car numbers |
| Nantes | 1 | 1985 | TFS-1 | 20 | 301-320 |
| Nantes | 2 | 1988 | TFS-1 | 8 | 321-328 |
| Nantes | 3 | 1991-1992 | TFS-1 | 6 | 329-334 |
| Nantes | 4 | 1993-1994 | TFS-1 | 12 | 335-346 |
| Grenoble | 1 | 1987 | TFS-2 | 20 | 2001-2020 |
| Grenoble | 2 | 1989 | TFS-2 | 15 | 2021-2035 |
| Grenoble | 3 | 1991-1992 | TFS-2 | 3 | 2036-2038 |
| Grenoble | 4 | 1995-1997 | TFS-2 | 15 | 2039-2053 |
| Rouen | 1994 | TFS-2 | 28 | 801-828 | |
| Saint Etienne"Un désir nommé tramways", Jean-Paul RAHON - SIOTAS | 1 | 1991 | 15 | 901-915 | |
| Saint Etienne | 2 | 1998 | 20 | 916-935 | |
| RATP Tramways in Paris The French region of Île-de-France, encompassing the capital city of Paris, currently has four tram lines, and is planning an additional line. Of the existing lines, three are operated by its public transport authority, RATP, which also operates the Paris Métro and most bus services. The fourth... |
1 | 1992 | TFS-2 | 17 | 101-117 |
| RATP Tramways in Paris The French region of Île-de-France, encompassing the capital city of Paris, currently has four tram lines, and is planning an additional line. Of the existing lines, three are operated by its public transport authority, RATP, which also operates the Paris Métro and most bus services. The fourth... |
2 | 1996-1997 | TFS-2 | 18 | 118-119 & 201-216 |