April 3, 2025
In Nancy, the first trolleybus is on the (right) track!
On Saturday, April 5, the Greater Nancy Metropolitan Area will celebrate the commercial launch of its first trolleybus line. This major project involves replacing the former rubber-tired tram (TVR) with a new, 100% electric trolleybus, ensuring a more reliable and sustainable service on the network’s main line. To carry out this work, Ineo Sclé Ferroviaire, a subsidiary of Equans France, was awarded the contract for the renewal of the overhead contact lines (OCLs). A major challenge: designing the new equipment, conducting the detailed engineering studies, sourcing the materials, and installing the new OCLs along 7.1 km of trolleybus track—all in less than a year!
Trolleybuses in Greater Nancy during the initial test runs
Photo credit: Greater Nancy Metropolitan Area
Commercial launch expected
The Greater Nancy Metropolitan Area is taking another step forward in the modernization of its public transit network with the launch of a 100% electric trolleybus line, which will cut energy consumption per kilometer in half. This ambitious project aims to promote a shift toward more sustainable modes of transportation while improving accessibility and the quality of public spaces. To support this transition, the stations have been completely redesigned to accommodate 20 trolleybuses along a total route length of 9.8 km. The redesign of intersections and the implementation of traffic light priority will increase the trolleybus’s operating speed, thereby offering a smoother and more efficient service to passengers.
The official inauguration of the trolleybus on Saturday, April 5, will feature festivities, an official ceremony, and the launch of this new line on the network. On this occasion, a parade will honor the teams that worked on the infrastructure and overhead contact lines (OCL), highlighting the commitment of those involved in this urban transformation.
A Smoothly Executed Catenary Inspection
Ineo Sclé Ferroviaire managed the entire process of modernizing the overhead contact line systems. Studies were conducted, covering everything from design to procurement, and then from installation to commissioning, drawing on technology developed for the tram system. After dismantling the aging catenary lines, a completely new contact line network was installed along part of the route and connected to the existing power supply network. The Colas Group, another entity within the Bouygues Group, is also modernizing the substations to further improve the network’s operation.
These latest-generation trolleybuses are powered by battery-based detachable technology. Equipped with poles that allow them to draw power from overhead contact lines, they can operate autonomously using an onboard battery, enabling them to run without being permanently connected to the power grid. As a result, this hybrid operation reduces the need for overhead contact line (OCL) equipment across the entire network. This helps lower costs, simplify the infrastructure, and improve urban integration.
The installation, which took place between February 2024 and January 2025, was completed within a particularly tight timeframe. Adherence to this schedule is largely due to the expertise of Ineo Sclé Ferroviaire, a company with extensive experience in installing LAC equipment, which applied some of that expertise to the trolleybus project.
“ We are proud to have supported the Metropolis throughout this ambitious project, which represents a major step forward in enhancing the appeal of urban transportation. The complete renovation of the overhead wire network, combined with the installation of new infrastructure, represented a large-scale technical challenge, as this was the first time such a system had been implemented on a trolleybus network. Accustomed to working on tram infrastructure, we had to develop a procedure tailored to this specific context. ”
