---
title: Bordeaux Tram Network – France
url: "https://www.systra.com/uk/project/bordeaux-tram-network-france/"
type: projects
date_published: 2023-11-17
date_modified: 2026-05-07
schema:
  @type: WebPage
language: en-GB
word_count: 491
reading_time: 3 min
canonical: "https://www.systra.com/uk/project/bordeaux-tram-network-france/"
featured_image: "https://www.systra.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2020/09/tramway_bordeaux-e1611659205138.jpg"
type-market:
  - Mass Transit
  - Sustainable Transport
project-market:
  - Light Rail
  - Mass Transit
project-location:
  - International
---

# Bordeaux Tram Network – France

![Bordeaux Tram Network – France](https://www.systra.com/uk/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2020/09/tramway_bordeaux-e1611659205138.jpg)

**The Bordeaux tramway network is one of the most iconic of the revival of this
urban
transport mode in France. From 1997 to 2020, SYSTRA led the project management
consortium TISYA, responsible for the design and execution of 4 tram lines in
total.

Maximise the transport offer while reducing road traffic in the city in order to
highlight the architecture of the historic centre: it is to this complex
equation that the Bordeaux tramway network provides an answer, approved by more
than 100 million passengers each year.

The ‘Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux’, now known as ‘Bordeaux Métropole’, chose
the tramway to transform its image and integrate its public transport networks
with its entire agglomeration. More than two decades after this decision, the
success is obvious with a network of 4 lines, all in correspondence, linking all
the activity, employment, residential and tourism hubs. Present at all project
phases, SYSTRA and its partners signed a transport mode that is safe, reliable,
robust and accessible to all.

An additional challenge was the installation, as discretely as possible, of the
tramway at the heart of the 18th and 19th century architecture, enabled
especially thanks to ground-level power supply technology (APS) which dispenses
with the overhead contact line. This innovation was tested as a world first in
the hyper-centre of Bordeaux, before setting an example for many other networks
in France and throughout the world (Angers, Reims, Tours, Rio de Janeiro, Dubai,
Lusail…).

In 2020, a new chapter began with the extension of line D, latest addition to
the network inaugurated in 2019. An international reference, Bordeaux’s tramway
network has led to a modal shift in car traffic, while enriching the city
centre. The benefits in terms of both quality of life and the reduction of
polluting emissions are a success in which SYSTRA has been a key player.

![](https://www.systra.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/page-52-bordeaux-1024x691.jpg)

Some examples of projects in Light Rail, Mass Transit

[  Victoria Cross Metro Development: Systems Engineering with a Human Factors Focus ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/victoria-cross-metro-systems-engineering-with-a-human-factors-focus/)
[  Human-Centered Design: A New Era for Sydney’s Rail Operations Centre ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/human-centered-design-a-new-era-for-sydneys-rail-operations-centre/)
[  The Role of Human Factors in Queensland’s Cross River Rail Project ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/the-role-of-human-factors-in-the-queenslands-cross-river-rail-project/)
[  Riyadh Metro: Delivering the World’s Largest Automatic Metro System ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/riyadh-metro-saudi-arabia/)
[  Driving Economic Growth with the West Midland Metro Extension ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/driving-economic-growth-with-the-west-midland-metro-extension/)
[  Social Value of the Tyne & Wear Metro ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/social-value-of-the-tyne-wear-metro/)

[ See a selection of SYSTRA's projects ](https://www.systra.com/uk/project/social-value-of-the-tyne-wear-metro/)