Project Case Study

T6 Tramline Extension, Lyon, France

Customer

Sytral Mobilités

Date

Work underway – the line extension is scheduled to open in 2026

Sector

Light Rail & Tram

NUMBER OF FASTENING ASSEMBLIES SUPPLIED
Fastenings

Customer challenge

The Lyon transport network is the second largest in France, with over 140 metro, bus, tram, funicular and trolleybus lines supporting 1.8 million trips each day. As part of its strategy to reduce car use, local transport authority Sytral Mobilités opened the 6.7km-long T6 Tramline in 2019 to connect the Debourg area of the city and hospitals to the east.

Following the successful opening of the T6 line, Sytral Mobilités decided to extend it to La Doua university campus. The new extension will be 5.4km long, include 11 new stations and carry 55,000 passengers each day, enabling people to travel on a ring road tramline around the entire centre of Lyon.

Egis was appointed to project manage the line extension and, with main contractor TSO, began work at the end of 2022. With a total of 15,697 sleepers needed, Pandrol was appointed to install the NABLA rail fastening system on the line, which is specifically designed for use on state-of-the-art tram and light rail systems.

Pandrol solution

On the T6N tramway project in Lyon, Pandrol supplied Nabla Evolution®️ fastening systems for 15,700 sleepers, representing around 10km of single track. This system offers electrical insulation of over 9 kOhm and high performance, particularly for tight radius layouts. It guarantees excellent track gauge stability and optimised component life. Nabla Evolution stops also enable precise track adjustment in 1.25mm increments. Moreover, the Nabla Evolution®️ system offers homogenous tightening of the clips thanks to its patented contact tightening technology. The Nabla Evolution system is suitable for all types of track, from grass to asphalt.It increases insulation and offers a wide range of stiffnesses and vibration mitigation, which is key in this busy, city centre context.

The tram rails are grooved steel – standard grade R200 and R260 for straight lines, and hard grade R290 and R320 for turns. With a large number of aluminothermic welds to be completed, we decided to use two key tools from our i+weld range to maximise quality, safety and productivity on this project – AutoSeal® moulds and the High Flow Preheater (HFP) 36V.

AutoSeal® moulds streamline the welding process by removing the need for luting – sealing moulds to rail ends with paste or sand to avoid metal leaks. Instead, a built-in strip expands during the pre-heating phase to create a tight seal between the mould and the rail. As well as saving time, using AutoSeal® on the T6 line extension is reducing waste and resulting in a much more comfortable, less stressful process for welders.

The HFP 36V – which only uses propane and is significantly safer and more cost-effective than traditional oxy-propane equipment – is being used for preheating on the project. This is resulting in significant benefits, with welders reporting that the automated process takes half the time of traditional methods and is easier and more comfortable to use. Tests have also shown clear improvements in accuracy and uniformity, with better heat distribution in the ends of the rails.

Results

To date (November 2024), TSO welding team has completed 1,230 welds using AutoSeal® moulds and the High Flow Preheater (HFP) 36V. The use of innovative, cutting-edge technology and automation is making a major contribution to the efficient extension of the T6 line.

Once complete, the new line will be instrumental in continuing the shift from private car to public transport in Lyon, resulting in a more peaceful and less polluted city.