In La Défense, the transformation of tram T2 is underway

It is an economic, urban, and major mobility hub in Île-de-France. Every day, 500,000 trips are made there. With numerous connections. Here, the Metro line 1, RER A and E, Transilien L and U, and tram T2 intersect. And, in a few years, the Grand Paris Express line 15 will be added.

The Defense, a comprehensive renovation program of the station, has been launched to manage saturation and improve the aesthetic quality of the spaces by 2040. According to RATP, “the first necessary step for this plan is to reduce congestion on T2,” explains Timothée Zeifman, project manager for the operator, who manages part of the lines at this transport hub with SNCF.

Three objectives

This project aims for three objectives. The first: to improve operational conditions by creating a stop at the reserved station for alighting towards Paris, a bit upstream of the current arrangement. A part of the platform that was not used before must be adapted for this purpose. The goal is to better control the stop time by distributing passengers more efficiently on the platform.

The second objective: to enhance the comfort of the station. Nothing has been changed since the nineties. Lighting, tiling, signage will be renovated, and a large mural will be created.

Finally, it is about bringing the tramway station into compliance. Classified as an establishment receiving the public of an underground station type, the structure, covered in 1976 during the construction of Cnit, no longer meets current standards.

100% funded by local authorities

With a budget of 21 million euros, fully funded by local authorities, these works will be carried out over a year, while the tram, the station, and neighboring SNCF tracks are in operation. This requires particularly careful attention and coordination. The SNCF traffic cannot be interrupted, while that of the T2, used by between 30,000 and 40,000 passengers daily, is only occasionally disrupted.

Discover this project, a candidate for the Best Construction Site in France 2026 competition in the Design category, in the rest of the article.

An initially SNCF-owned platform.