“This is a historic step and a first in France”, welcomed the president of the region, Renaud Muselier (Les Républicains). The elected representatives of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region approved Thursday, October 28 the attribution of the operation of the Marseille-Nice rail line to the private group Transdev from 2025, ending, for the first time in France , to the SNCF monopoly.
Meeting in a plenary assembly, the elected representatives of the region adopted by an absolute majority the deliberation proposed by the regional executive aimed at allocating the TER Marseille-Toulon-Nice line to Transdev. As of September 7, the executive had announced this choice which dismissed the incumbent public operator. Three companies were in the running to win this link via Toulon: SNCF, the French private transport group Transdev and Thello, a subsidiary of the Italian public railway company, Trenitalia.
By allocating this TER line, which represents 10% of regional traffic in terms of the number of trains offered, to Transdev (a 66% subsidiary of the Caisse des Dépôts), the PACA region is the first in France to end the SNCF monopoly. Thanks to this competition, Mr. Muselier promised an improvement in services for users with a punctuality rate of “92% in 2025” as well as a cancellation rate of 2%. In 2016, depending on the region, 20% of trains were late and 10% of trains were canceled. Still depending on the region, “The traffic will be doubled”, from seven daily round trips to 14, for “An equivalent cost”. The ten-year concession contract is estimated at 870 million euros.
Transdev notably undertakes to increase the number of daily round trips from 7 to 14 when it is in charge, in July 2025; and “For an equivalent price”, ensures the region. Until then, the new operator promises to build infrastructure, such as a maintenance center in Nice, and to equip itself with new Alstom trainsets. Above all, he will have to negotiate with the trade unions more versatility of the railway workers. The agents working at least 50% of the time on this line will necessarily spend with Transdev with their rights, the others will have the choice.
“Too hasty competition”
A second batch concerning the operation of the lines “Azure” including the connections between Les Arcs-Draguignan (Var) and Vintimille (Italy), as well as the Nice-Tende and Cannes-Grasse lines in the Alpes-Maritimes, was also put to the vote. The only contender, SNCF, kept this contract estimated at 1.5 billion euros, which represents 23% of regional traffic.
“These calls for competition are too hasty”, denounced the National Gathering, which voted against the deliberation, considering in particular that the reinforced security within the TER, promised by the region, was not effective. No elected left or environmentalist is present at the regional council, the list of union of the left competing in the first round of the regional elections in June having decided to withdraw between the two rounds, to avoid the potential victory of the RN in the frame of a triangular.
European law requires from December 2023 a competition for rail traffic for all regions.