The first two lines of the Lyon tramway system, operated by local public transit authority TCL and totalling 20km in length, have been officially inaugurated. Less expensive than a subway, the tram lines expand TCL’s network, which includes a subway system, buses and funiculars.
To control the tramway, TCL selected a Schneider Electric remote control and monitoring solution, comprising 65 Modicon/Telemecanique Premium TSX PLCs equipped with an ethernet coupler and a web server for the new lines. The entire system communicates with the control centre via a fibre optic ring.
The main selling points that won the contract for the company in late 1999 were the web server function, which had already proved a hit with the subway owner and operator, and the OPC server for exchanges between PLCs and the supervisor.
