Caen Guided Light Transit

Service was provided by 24 three-section articulated vehicles, guided by a central non-supporting rail. The entire passenger line was guided, and in normal service the vehicles were powered by [[electric vehicle|electricity]] drawn from an [[overhead line|overhead wire]] through a [[pantograph (rail)|pantograph]]. The vehicles had auxiliary [[diesel engine]]s and [[steering wheel]]s and were able to operate away from the [[Guide rail#Railway guide rail|guide rail]], but only in diesel mode, and under normal operating conditions they ran only in electric mode when carrying passengers along the route, using their diesel engines only when travelling to and from the [[Bus garage|depot (garage)]]. The use of pantographs for current collection meant the Caen vehicles could not move laterally away from the overhead wire when operating in electric mode, and for this reason they were not considered to be [[trolleybus]]es, under the [[English language]] meaning of that word,Box, Roland (July–August 2010). "More about the 2000s". ''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 292, p. 79.Webb, Mary (ed.) (2010). ''Jane’s Urban Transport Systems 2010-2011'', pp. "[20]" and "[23]" (in foreword). Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): [[Jane's Information Group]]. {{ISBN|978-0-7106-2915-9}}. and the system is sometimes referred to as a "[[rubber-tyred tramway]]".{{cite web|title=A complete listing of Light Rail, Light Railway, Tramway & Metro systems throughout the World|date=January 2006|publisher=[[Light Rail Transit Association]]|url=http://www.lrta.org/world/worldind.html|accessdate=2011-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008201538/http://lrta.org/world/worldind.html|archive-date=2007-10-08|url-status=dead}}

Service was provided by 24 three-section articulated vehicles, guided by a central non-supporting rail. The entire passenger line was guided, and in normal service the vehicles were powered by [[electric vehicle|electricity]] drawn from an [[overhead line|overhead wire]] through a [[pantograph (rail)|pantograph]]. The vehicles had auxiliary [[diesel engine]]s and [[steering wheel]]s and were able to operate away from the [[Guide rail#Railway guide rail|guide rail]], but only in diesel mode, and under normal operating conditions they ran only in electric mode when carrying passengers along the route, using their diesel engines only when travelling to and from the [[Bus garage|depot (garage)]]. The use of pantographs for current collection meant the Caen vehicles could not move laterally away from the overhead wire when operating in electric mode, and for this reason they were not considered to be [[trolleybus]]es, under the [[English language]] meaning of that word,Box, Roland (July–August 2010). "More about the 2000s". ''Trolleybus Magazine'' No. 292, p. 79.Webb, Mary (ed.) (2010). ''Jane’s Urban Transport Systems 2010-2011'', pp. "[20]" and "[23]" (in foreword). Coulsdon, Surrey (UK): [[Jane's Information Group]]. {{ISBN|978-0-7106-2915-9}}. and the system is sometimes referred to as a "[[rubber-tyred tramway]]".{{cite web|title=A complete listing of Light Rail, Light Railway, Tramway & Metro systems throughout the World|date=January 2006|publisher=[[Light Rail Transit Association]]|url=http://www.lrta.org/world/worldind.html|accessdate=2011-05-05|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071008201538/http://lrta.org/world/worldind.html|archive-date=2007-10-08|url-status=dead}}

The system closed on 31 December 2017 to allow for the construction of the present [[Caen tramway]].

The system closed on 31 December 2017 to allow for the construction of a new [[Caen tramway|tramway]] using conventional street railway technology. The new system opened in 2019 and covers the same route as the TVR, but has since been extended.

==History==

==History==

It was in 1988 that the SMTCAC (''Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun de l'Agglomération Caennaise'') first considered developing public transport on a large scale. However, the opening of the bus system was not without problems as well as lack of interest in the system by the population with only 23% backing the projectSource: [[Ouest-France]], [http://www.ouest-france.fr website]{{Failed verification|date=May 2010}}, in 1994, Viacités, one of the guided bus' network partners closed a contract with the consortium STVR (''Société the transport sur Voie Réservée''), existing construction company [[Spie Batignolles]] and [[Bombardier Transportation]] proceeded with infrastructure and vehicle construction. Due to financial contracts the municipality had no other choice but to push the project forward despite a relative lobby against the ''tram''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

In 1988, the SMTCAC (''Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun de l'Agglomération Caennaise'') first considered developing higher-order public transit systems. However, the opening of the bus system was not without problems as well as lack of interest in the system by the population with only 23% backing the projectSource: [[Ouest-France]], [http://www.ouest-france.fr website]{{Failed verification|date=May 2010}}, in 1994, Viacités, one of the guided bus' network partners closed a contract with the consortium STVR (''Société the transport sur Voie Réservée''), existing construction company [[Spie Batignolles]] and [[Bombardier Transportation]] proceeded with infrastructure and vehicle construction. Due to financial contracts the municipality had no other choice but to push the project forward despite a relative lobby against the ''tram''.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}}

== Network ==

== Network ==