“The Paris Tramway, A Remake Of An Old Idea”

From 1890 electric tramways existed in Paris, run by the Compagnie Général Parisienne de Tramways (C.G.P.T), taking over the former system operated by horse trams since 1875. From 1901, they set out to electrify the routes. This postcard, dating from 1910 and posted in England on August 27th, 1912, shows tram number 4912 with the caption: “The Transport of Paris – Electric tramway using trolley and accumulators.” In the suburbs, overhead wire was used, but in central Paris, they used “accumulators” and therefore, these trams could run on either system.

On route 11, the section from École Militaire to St. Philippe du Roule, used the accumulators and this postcard view is close to the changeover point. This tram is one of sixty constructed in 1901. In 1911 most of the class were fitted on new bogies and had their upper decks improved. They carried 60 passengers, 28 seated on the lower deck, 26 upstairs and 6 standing.

The last traditional electric tram ran in Paris in 1938, but a new generation of tramways is now underway. Work is progressing for service to be in effect by 2006 between the Pont du Garigliano and Porte d’Ivry, crossing 7.9 kilometers through the 13th, 14th and 15th arrondissements. It replaces the PC1 bus portion “Porte d’Ivry – Pont du Garigliano.”

Ecologically sound, stable and silent, the tramway is rapid, comfortable and capable of transporting large numbers of people. The project is an initiative of the state, the region, the STIF (Syndicat des Transports d’Ile-de-France), the city of Paris and the RATP. The project is designed to encourage use of public transportation, allow more space for pedestrians and cyclists and reduce the use of cars, thereby helping to reduce pollution.

To learn more about the new tramway, visit the exposition entitled “Un Tramway pour tous” from June 22nd to July 9th at the Mairie of the 13th, 1, place d’Italie, 75013 Paris, Tél: 01 44 08 13 13, open 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, Thursdays until 7:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Saturdays.

We take this opportunity to bring you a glimpse of properties located in these arrondissements and near the new tramway line, so that as an owner there, you can be one of the first to take advantage of Paris’ newest hottest mode of transportation.

A la prochaine…

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris
E-mail: [email protected]

P.S. This comes to you a bit earlier than usual as tomorrow morning bright and early we’ll be touring through the Hôtel de Ville with the participants of the Working and Living in France Conference. It’s considered Paris’ most beautiful building and can only be visited by private tour.

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* Further resources:

* Many people don’t have the time nor the resources to look for their own little piece of France, especially if they’re located in the States or other foreign country.

* Stay in the heart of the Left Bank your own luxury apartment…

* Getting a mortgage in France is easier than you think.

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FOR SALE:

Each week Paris Property Picks features a range of properties which we believe are on the market at the time of writing. These properties are featured in order to give readers a sample of what is currently available and a working example of prices being asked in various districts of Paris. As we are not a real estate agency, these properties do not constitute a sales listing. For those readers seriously interested in finding property in Paris or France, you can retain our services to do the whole thing for you. For more information, visit /frenchproperty/insider/propertyconsultation.html
or contact Jocelyn Carnegie at [email protected]