ReportThe success of line D of the Franco-German tram between Strasbourg and Kehl has been undeniable since its inauguration in 2017. A transnational journey symbol of a union embodied on a daily basis by its passengers. Like Philippe, Juliette, Quentin or Eric, met before the Night of Europe, an event organized by Sciences Po Strasbourg, in partnership with « Le Monde », at the Cardo, on May 21.
» It is magic ! » Philippe Hoegy, who was one of the first drivers of the tram line linking Strasbourg to Kehl, inaugurated in 2017, has kept his enthusiasm from the first days. « Every time we cross the Rhine, especially in the morning when the sun rises over the river, I am amazed », says this discreet 56-year-old man. If the users of the line undoubtedly share his emotion, their immediate concerns seem more down to earth.
The vast majority of them go first to Germany to take advantage of the more attractive prices offered in Kehl. Like Juliette, a dapper grandmother who, pushing her trolley, takes this tram at least once a week to stock up on cleaning products. « I also take the opportunity to drink a coffee and eat an apple strudel », she confides, mischievous. Quentin, 25, looking for a job, wants to take advantage of the considerable difference between the prices of cigarettes: 70 euros per cartridge of Americans in Kehl, 105 euros in Strasbourg.
Céline, German manager of Tabac Stop, a store located exactly opposite the tram stop, would find it hard to criticize this one, as her arrival has boosted her sales. “At least 30% more”, she admits, falsely modest, in impeccable French. The same enthusiasm for Eric, a history student, who likes to party on Saturday evenings in the nightclubs of Kehl “open earlier, closed later and much cheaper than in Strasbourg”. He also admits to risking a few euros in the slot machines of the casinos, which are multiplying in the German city.
If Philippe confides his wonder when the sun rises on the river, the driver concedes however that the returns in the early morning are more glaucous. « These are the only moments I don’t like, recognizes Philippe Hoegy. Young people are often very drunk, fight, delay closing doors. » Since guards have been specially assigned to these small hours of Sunday, calm has returned. » Curious, notes the driver, but the German guards who operate at the start of the tram, in Germany therefore, have more authority than their French counterparts. »
These Sunday ruckus aside, the success of the line is undeniable. « At the start, however, it was not won, as the two cities seemed to be turning their backs »explains Annette Lipowsky, chief of staff to the mayor of Kehl. » Several times, adds this former journalist, if the political will to succeed had not been predominant in France as in Germany, administrative details, as absurd on one side as on the other, could have caused the project to fail. » And to cite, for example, the obligation to place flashing lights on trams, as is customary in Germany, but not in France. Not to mention these discussions, which lasted twenty-two months, to obtain authorization to build a footbridge between the two shores. This, because of a translation error in the conclusions of a report. « It’s bullshit [en français dans le texte] »adds Annette Lipowsky to denounce an obscure administrative regulation of France today preventing the construction of an incineration furnace in Strasbourg which could treat the sludge produced in Kehl.
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