With the scorching temperatures, the lawn of the Toulouse tramway looks like an oasis of greenery. But what is this lawn really for? How is it maintained? Who watches over it all year round?
While the rain deficit has reached record highs since May in Haute-Garonne, and the municipal lawns, in Toulouse as elsewhere, are suffering from the lack of water, the tramway lawn still seems to be in good health.
Of the approximately 24.8 km in length added to lines T1 and T2, the strips of lawn represent a total of more than 7 hectares of lawn! Precisely, add the services of Tisséo, and even if 70% “only” of the route of the two tram lines are grassed, this represents 72,500 m2.
More than 7 hectares of lawn
There are no pipes or turnstiles, watering is done partly with city water and partly with raw water. And this, by a totally integrated watering. For example, the water from the Garonne waters the lawn in the Blagnac and Beauzelle areas.
The maintenance of the lawn is entrusted to a specialized company which provides mowing and watering, further specifies Tisséo. Between the months of April, May and September, daily monitoring of irrigation installations and water consumption is carried out.
Water from the Garonne, and suitable watering
Adjustments of watering times according to the readings of the weather station are made to adapt consumption as accurately as possible. Every day, an analysis of events is carried out in order to identify any incidents. Finally, every week, the watering coverage is checked.
The lawn must be maintained as closely as possible, so as not to compromise the proper functioning of the oars. Mowing is normally done from March to December. The height of the grass must in no case exceed 8 cm above the rail, so as not to touch the lower part of the oars and generate emergency braking.
Why is the tram route grassed? Grass dampens noise, a significant advantage in urban areas, where noise is the primary nuisance felt by residents. It is also a trap for urban dust and gaseous pollutants.
Less noise and heat
The grassing of the tram route contributes to the achievement of the objectives of reducing carbon emissions and confers a higher environmental quality to the activities of public transport, specifies Tisséo. Thanks to the biological activity, the turf cools the air by the evapotranspiration of the plants: the temperature is lowered nearby and the surface of the turf rarely exceeds 29°‹C, while the coatings commonly exceed 60°‹C , under strong sunlight.
