The 29th of April was marked by theofficial arrival of the tramway at the airport of Bordeaux Mérignac. It will have taken four years of work and an investment of 95 million euros to build this infrastructure. Bordeaux thus becomes the 7th largest airport in France to benefit from a rail link. The other airports are Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly, Lyon, Nice, Strasbourg and Toulouse.
Five new stations and five kilometres additional lines connect the airport to the metropolis using highly environmentally-friendly public transport. The tram, which runs on a single track along the new section, has a frequency of 10 minutes. It now brings the airport to 35 minutes from Bordeaux city centre (Pey-Berland). On average, almost 6,500 passengers are expected to use the line every day.
The line connects at Porte de Bourgogne in the heart of Bordeaux with tram lines C and D to Gare Saint Jean. The fare is one of the cheapest in France for travel to an airport. It only costs 1,70€.
The shuttle switches to biofuel
The line is an alternative to the existing direct link between Gare Saint Jean and the airport. The 30'Direct shuttle has also undergone a facelift. Since 5 May, it runs on biofuel (Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil). This means a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions of more than 75%, as well as a reduction in regulated pollutants (including nitrogen oxides and fine particles) compared with fossil diesel. The shuttle bus links the station and the airport in thirty minutes every day between 6am and 8pm.. Tickets cost between €7 and €8.
Finally, it should be noted that the Rentscape, specialising in converted car and van hirehas just opened a branch at Bordeaux Airport. It offers its full range of cars, from city cars to saloons, not forgetting SUVs, commercial vehicles and converted vans.
