In addition to existing projects, several programmes both small and large-scale are being developed in Lyon. Spread out over the next decade, they ought to help the city respond to rising demand and boost the use of alternative transport modes to the car.
We focus on a few of the most eye-catching.
In terms of soft modes, one popular idea is to give the Vélo’v programme – Lyon’s bike-sharing scheme – a helping hand by making the bicycles electric on demand. This will not be possible until 2017, however, when the service contract between the Urban Community of Lyon and JCDecaux expires.
The T3 tramway line is being extended and will serve the Grand Stade des Lumières, the new stadium of Olympique lyonnais that is currently under construction.
Highly controversial, the project has faced legal opposition and is due to cost € 66.6 m – double the initial estimate of € 33.3 m.
Like the T3 line, the T1 tramway line is also due to be lengthened. The new section of track will be 6.7 km long and serve 13 stations between Debourg and Hôpitaux Est. Estimated to cost € 160 m, it ought to cater for 24,600 passengers a year by 2020.
The renovation project in Lyon’s Part-Dieu neighbourhood is without doubt the most iconic and ambitious project of Gérard Collomb, the city’s mayor. On top of the programme’s goals in terms of urbanisation and real estate, the plans feature provisions for a complete overhaul of the Lyon Part-Dieu railway station – and not before time. “Every day, 125,000 people pass through the station, which was originally designed for 35,000,” says mission Part-Dieu, the publicly-owned local body which is managing the project. The various enhancements include a new railway line, improvements to passenger mobility and, above all, a doubling of the station’s size, with a view to better accommodating the 230,000 passengers expected per day by 2030.
The city’s metro network is also due to benefit from attention, with developments including a 2.5 km extension of Line B from Oullins to Hôpitaux du Sud at a cost of € 394 m.