Public transport in Clermont-Ferrand, the capital of the French department of Puy-de-Dôme in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region with just under 150,000 inhabitants, is to become significantly more attractive by upgrading two main bus lines to BHNS standard – BHNS (Bus à haut niveau de service) is the French version of BRT (Bus Rapid Transit). Long sections on dedicated routes are being rebuilt as part of lines B and C, and the surrounding area and the entire road space is also being remodelled and improved along the routes. The project is locally referred to as ‘inspiRe’. The scope of the project includes in particular:
- Emission-free vehicles with clean energy
- Dedicated lanes on almost the entire route, with priority at traffic lights and junctions
- Increased bus frequency: every 6 minutes during peak hours on most of the route
- Regular service at 64 stops
- Extended journey times: from 5.00 a.m. to 1.00 a.m.
- Redesigned bus stops for greater comfort.
The only existing Translohr line will not be extended – we already reported on this HERE – 40 all-electric articulated vehicles of the ‘HESS lighTram® 19’ model from the Swiss manufacturer Hess AG will run on the two BHNS lines in future. The first vehicle completed test runs in the Solothurn area and was presented to interested members of the public in Clermont-Ferrand a few weeks ago.
The vehicles have a total battery capacity of 114 kWh and are recharged using Hitachi Energy’s ‘Grid-eMotion Flash ultrafast charging’ system at certain points along the route via fast chargers. In Geneva, HESS articulated trams with this technology, marketed here by ABB under the name TOSA, have already been in use for several years, and other locations such as Nantes, Brisbane and, in future, Vicenza are also among the users. The HESS lighTram® 19 is 18.75 metres long and can accommodate 140 passengers, 32 of whom are seated. Electric motors drive axles 2 and 3.
All vehicles are to be delivered to Clermont-Ferrand by the end of 2025, and the conversion of the two BHNS lines B and C is to be completed at the same time. The investment volume amounts to EUR 90 million. The aim is to increase passenger numbers from approximately 32 million passengers per year at present to 52 million in future.
