Behind the scenes of the Tours tramway, part 4/4 (2019)

Description

We give you a behind-the-scenes look at the Tours tramway. Considered by some to be one of the most beautiful in the world, it is highly praised by the people of Tours. In this 4th episode, we visit the centralized control center of the Fil Bleu network. It's a place used to supervise all traffic on the bus and tram network. Here, we track traffic in real-time—serial by Dominique Pouget, Cyrille Deville, and Gilles Engels.

Trams and buses are displayed on a large screen at the centralized control station in Tours-Nord, a 12 m² video wall with almost no cameras, monitored by two controllers: one for the buses and one for the tram, which track traffic in real time. This plays an essential role, especially for the tram. The trains must run in a carousel, one behind the other, at regular intervals during peak periods. We announce that a train departs every 6 to 8 minutes. We must stick to this schedule. If a train passes a minute early, the customers we should have picked up 5 or 7 minutes earlier will be missed. The risks are that AS Rome will fall behind, like the pros, and the expected customers will be delayed. Then the gap between the two trains widens, so we don't have a train every 6 to 10 minutes; therefore, we are cautious about our operations. France is progressing; we can handle it. The drivers were constantly slowing down, but that is no longer the case. Their status on our network, on the other hand, makes it impossible; a three-minute delay could stop the tram, with the previous bus having a problem with the disabled access ramp of the 53. You’ll stay a little longer at Tours station because it will be a tragedy if you are stuck behind the bus leaving Jaurès. It just left Jaurès, where you can take a taxi for 3.50; you depart at 4:30.

Please be late. These last two controllers, along with a third agent from the control and information post—Nassim—are very attentive. Nassim acts in real-time to inform travelers and subscribers, first on the Fil Bleu Twitter account. First, I posted my tweet informing all our subscribers that the tram line was interrupted as of 3:55 p.m.. I announced on the passenger information terminals present at the tram stations with the same information to warn that the tram line is interrupted due to an incident, with visual alerts on each station’s display and audio announcements inside the trains, which we adapt accordingly depending on whether it’s a breakdown, an accident, or delays due to traffic or other issues. Additionally, Nassima reports on traffic conditions four times a day on France Bleu Touraine, managing 160 buses and 18 to 19 trains simultaneously during rush hour. This traffic volume is expected to increase significantly with the creation of the second tram line of Tours Métropole Val de Loire by 2025.

Stops

Vaucanson → Lycée Jean Monnet.

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