Alstom, constructor of the Algiers tramway:
"The ticketing system influences passengers' perception."
The first line of the long-awaited Algiers tram network will open at the beginning of 2010, to the relief of the city’s inhabitants. This “turnkey” network will be delivered by a consortium headed by Alstom, using an ACS ticketing system that will enhance the image of the service provided to passengers.
The goal is to reduce the capital city’s legendary traffic jams and recoup the huge investments made on the network. So Alstom was expecting its ticketing system supplier to demonstrate a real ability to obtain the seal of approval of the 170,000 passengers who will soon travel on the first line each day. "We were looking for a real partner capable of understanding our needs and helping us to win the approval of our client, the Algiers Metro Company," stresses Richard Klein, Alstom TGS manager of ticketing system procurement.
As soon as the first line opens
The Algiers tramway ticketing system is based on an open central system. It is thus ready to be interoperable with the metro, which is also under construction.
In addition to contactless tickets, the on-board validators will read the magnetic tickets that have been used for many years on the city’s buses. The tramway is thus firmly rooted at the heart of the Algerian capital’s multimodal transport project. It is bound to be an attractive alternative for motorists.
In the meantime there is a deadline to meet, as the first section is scheduled to be commissioned at the beginning of 2010. "Unlike the civil engineering works, which are being carried out section by section, the ticketing system must be 80% completed as soon as the first line opens,” points out Patrice Vincendeau, ACS sales engineer in charge of this project. “Twelve months is not very long to meet that target. But we have successfully met similar challenges in the past".
