The Tram Renaissance

France's relationship with trams illustrates how transport modes can fall from favor and return transformed. By 1900, most French cities had extensive tram networks. But post-war modernization fever saw trams as obsolete. Cities ripped up tracks to make room for cars. By 1970, only Lille and Saint-Étienne maintained tram services.

The oil crisis and growing environmental awareness triggered a tram renaissance. Nantes led the way in 1985, but not with nostalgic restoration of old systems. The new trams were modern, accessible, and integrated with urban design. Grenoble's 1987 system featured low floors for wheelchair access—a world first that became the global standard. These weren't just transport projects but urban renewal programs.

Strasbourg's tram, launched in 1994, showed how transport could reshape cities. The system's design, by architect Peter Rice, treated stops as public spaces rather than mere platforms. The city center, freed from cars, became a pedestrian paradise. Property values rose along tram lines. Other cities took notice: Bordeaux, Nice, Montpellier, and dozens more built new tram systems.

Bordeaux's innovation solved an aesthetic challenge. The historic city center, a UNESCO World Heritage site, couldn't accommodate overhead wires without damaging its appearance. The solution: APS (Alimentation par le Sol), a ground-level power supply activated only when trams passed over. This preserved Bordeaux's 18th-century vistas while providing modern transport. The technology, though expensive, demonstrated French willingness to invest in beauty.