The 9.9km Line B would link Belle-Beille in the west of the city, running along Avenue Patton into the city centre, where it will briefly share tracks with Line A before turning east along Avenue Montaigne. From here it will turn north onto Boulevard de Deux Croix and Boulvevard Alloneau to reach the eastern terminus at Monplaisir.
The project will include a short link between Line B on Avenue Montaigne and Moliére station on Line A, creating a light rail loop in the city centre, together with the expansion of the existing Line A depot to accommodate the 18 additional LRVs required for the new line.
Line B will have 19 stations, including three with park-and-ride facilities, and will bring another 50,000 residents within 500m of a tram station.
A public inquiry was completed in the second quarter of this year and Angers Loire Metropolitan Council will vote on an implementation programme for the €250m project in the first quarter of next year. A second public consultation will be carried out in the second quarter of 2016 in order to obtain public utility status, which the council hopes to achieve by September 2016. This would enable construction to start at the end of 2016 with the aim of commissioning the line in late-2019.
