Reims tramway  Reims tramway () is a tram system in the French city of Reims, which opened in April 2011. It travels north to south, through the city, along of route. The route has 23 stops, with a further two planned for the future. Two services run on the line:  The 18 trams used on the line are Alstom Citadis 302. They consist of five body sections and have capacity for 205 passengers, with 56 seated. The line uses the APS third rail system for 1.9 km around Reims Cathedral, minimising visual intrusion in the historic city centre. This APS system, pioneered in Bordeaux, allows the trams to be powered by a ground level third rail instead of overhead power lines. The vehicle design evokes a Champagne flute, as Reims is the centre of the Champagne region. The livery is the work of famous designer Ruedi Baur and is based around the concept of colours. Each vehicle has its own pastel colour from a total selection of eight. The insides of the vehicles are coloured the same as the outsides. Initial studies into the potential of a tramway began in 2003, as a consequence of an overcrowded bus network and the impacts this was having on the historic centre of Reims. In July 2006, financing, construction and management of the future line was delegated to a private concessionary consortium, called MARS ("Mobility in the Agglomeration of ReimS"). This €1.4 billion public private partnership was unique in France at the time. This consortium is composed of the vehicles' builder "Alstom", the network operator "Transdev", five roadwork enterprises and three pension funds. Construction of the tramway began in May 2008, with the first tram arriving in March 2010, which allowed for testing and commissioning of the line in September 2010. The line opened on 16 April 2011, with a cost of €305m.