Now that a new operator, Sud Azur, has taken over the running of the local train line from Cannes to Menton, passengers are enjoying a substantial increase in services. Since 15th December, there has been a train every 15 minutes between 5.45am and 10pm, including on weekends.
Rail passengers may have noticed that the number of TER trains on the Côte d’Azur, from Cannes to Nice, Monaco, and Menton, has increased.
The frequency of services has actually risen by 75%, with a train now running every quarter of an hour from 5.45am until 10pm every single day of the week, including Sundays.
This new era in train services on the Riviera is the result of a decision to open rail transport to competition. The new regional operator, Sud Azur, a private subsidiary of SNCF, recently took over the local TER network. Transdev is set to follow suit for the Marseille-Nice line next June.
Improvements extend to other lines, with further increases in services between Nice and Drap, Cannes and Grasse, and Les Arcs and Cannes. Furthermore, the operator has pledged to improve on-time performance to 98%, addressing past delays that saw TER trains on the Côte d’Azur ranked last for punctuality in 2023.
“This (extended train service) meets a real need because the train is increasingly asserting itself as the backbone of new modes of transport. Between Nice and Menton, Cannes and Grasse, and Nice, Breil, and Tende, there are 60,000 users per day who choose the train to travel. It is the busiest line in France outside the Île-de-France,” said Jean-Pierre Serrus, Vice President in charge of Transport and Sustainable Mobility for the PACA region, in comments to Monaco Matin.
A €164 million plan is underway to renovate 40 trains by 2026, with 23 already upgraded and two new trains on order, co-funded by Monaco. These changes aim to double peak-hour capacity in the Principality, where trains are often extremely crowded during these periods. Additionally, a new maintenance centre in Nice Saint-Roch will eliminate the need to send trains to Marseille for repairs, boosting operational efficiency.
To top it off, the company has confirmed that ticket and subscription prices will not increase in 2025.
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Photo credit: Stephane Danna / Monaco Communications Department