The Massy-Palaiseau workshop-garage, a technical and environmental challenge

With a surface area of 5,000 m², the workshop-garage will be both the maintenance and storage place for the 23 trains that will run on the T12 tram line. As a continuation of Massy station, it has been designed as an innovation space that will simplify the tasks of agents, and will be part of a sustainable environmental approach.

A technical feat

At the end of the service, once all passengers have disembarked at the Massy-Palaiseau terminus, the tram trains will reach the workshop-garage.
During a first stage at the service station, technicians will carry out a technical inspection of the trains, in particular by checking the level of sand which improves the grip of the wheels. The trains will then pass through the washing station. Quietly parked on the storage tracks, they will wait for the resumption of service the next morning. If more complex interventions are necessary, they will be carried out on one of the six tracks
on a pit. Dug into the ground, the latter will make it possible to reach the lower part of the tram while footbridges will give access to its roof, where the engine is located, among other things. Thus, it will be possible to carry out different repairs simultaneously.
A pit tower to restore the shape of the wheels and guarantee the tram's grip in curves, a lifting chain, an overhead crane, a paint booth to repaint any scratches, etc., the workshop-garage will be fully equipped to carry out repairs.

At the heart of an ecosystem

Since the design of the project, multiple elements have been taken into account to create harmony between the building and the surrounding landscape. A 3,000 m² park adjoining the workshop-garage will be devoted to purple, a protected plant. The birds will be able to take shelter in perches set up for this purpose. As for the lizards, they will be able to continue to inhabit the area serenely. In order to avoid any noise pollution, the noisy spaces will be isolated by walls and inside the workshop, the trains will not exceed 5 km/h. Waste management will be carried out on site in a dedicated centre. With an ergonomic architecture, 4,800 m² of green roof, a concrete, metal and wood façade, the workshop-garage will fit into its environment with elegance and discretion.
The workshop-garage is built, the equipment is being installed. To date, the first half of the complex is already finished.

Innovative and ecological equipment

The workshop-garage will compete with state-of-the-art technical equipment, but the undisputed star will be the washing machine. It will automate the cleaning of the "nose", i.e. the cab where the driver sits. Usually, it is an agent who takes care of it manually. In a single operation and with 85% of the washing water recycled, the whole train will be clean!