The second tramway : a "line voltage" between majority and opposition

Angers Loire Métropole wants to set up the second tramway line on the tracks. Next Thursday, the board of the local autority, which gathers Angers and 32 surrounding cities, will choice the team entrusted to lead the preliminary technical studies of the project. But the decision could be easy to make up : there is only one bidder and that one had already worked for the first line.

The launching of the works is not for soon : those preliminary surveys could last eight years and their costs is estimated at € 7 millions. The representative in charge of the scheme, Luc Belot, was questionned by the minority of Angers town council which sits at the transport commission of Angers Loire Métropole about the price of the project. This one has swept away the doubts about the ability of the Angers tax payer to foot the bill, but with questionable arguments. Mr Belot hopes to get the subsidies granted to the first line. But nothing is sure given the deficit of France public accounts and the tensions on local finances as well.  The second reason he gave is more surprising : "With time, we may hope that economic conditions will improve", he said convinced that "the preliminary studies will answer to those questions"!

A few months ago, Mr Belot had already warned that the second line would be shorter than what was planned. It could only go from Belle-Beille to Monplaisir districts, the tracks linking the line to Beaucouzé (from Belle-Beille) and to Saint-Sylvain d'Anjou (from Monplaisir) being postponed. The estimated cost is about € 20 millions by km. And the short circuit would represent 10 km... So it's tremendously important that the costs be precisely calculated.