30.09.2025
From construction to commissioning: CETEX Babinière is born!
At Babinière, north of Nantes, construction of the new Centre Technique et d'Exploitation (CETEX), carried out by SEMITAN on behalf of Nantes Métropole, was completed at the end of August. Equans France, via its entities Ineo UTS, Ineo Infracom and Bouygues Energies & Services - Transport Urbain et Routier, was responsible for the electrical and technical installations. After hosting an open day for the public and employees in mid-September, the site is now operational and ready to fulfill its mission to serve the Nantes network.
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One of France's largest tramway depots
The new CETEX meets the growing need for mobility in the Nantes metropolis. By 2024, nearly 150 million passengers will be using the Naolib network, which serves 24 communes and covers more than 30 million kilometers. The site brings together in a single location all the functions essential to the operation of the network. It includes a vast 12,000 m² maintenance workshop, capable of simultaneously accommodating 16 new-generation tramway trainsets. It also houses an operations building incorporating offices, training areas, drivers' rest areas and the network supervision center.
Finally, the CETEX features a service station for cleaning and sanding trainsets, as well as a storage facility for storing new-generation trainsets.
At the heart of CETEX ( © : Leo Panchevre)
Expertise for a complex project
Mobilized from 2022 onwards, Equans France teams carried out 18 months of preparatory work prior to the launch of the works. Ineo's teams, specialized in electrical engineering, were responsible for all high and low voltage installations, as well as the installation of the fire safety system.
This included high and low voltage power supply, site lighting, machine and ventilation system outlets and power supplies, as well as the integration of a dedicated datacenter for data management. All this equipment is controlled by a building technical management application, capable of detecting energy or technical anomalies in real time.
Unprecedented technical coordination
Bouygues Energies & Services - Transport Urbain et Routier provided the electrical traction installations essential for powering the tramway trains. The site also mobilized Ineo UTS and Ineo Infracom for the video protection and access control systems. The success of the operation relies on meticulous coordination between the various parties involved, with constant attention paid to team safety and management of technical interfaces.
Alongside Equans France, Colas Rail - another Bouygues Group subsidiary - contributed to this major project, managing the extension of line 1 of the Ranzay and Babinière tramway, as well as the creation of the 8 km of track in the CETEX. This includes the creation of a new terminus station at Babinière, 16 storage tracks, 3 washing and sandblasting tracks and 9 workshop tracks for maintenance of the new trains. In all, more than 19 km of rail were laid, and more than 1,500 aluminothermic welds were made.
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