Whereas Transdev has been operating the Marseille-Toulon-In Nice, the Southern Region opted on Friday to keep SNCF as operator of the East Provence and Alps lines following the call for tenders launched in 2024 as part of the opening up of rail services to competition. Passengers should therefore see no real difference in service, especially as the new 10-year contract will not start until December 2029. To stand out from its competitors, SNCF Voyageurs Sud Alpes-Méditerranée has undertaken to lower its production costs while increasing its train capacity by 30% over the period. To achieve this, the company will have access to 25 new Regiolis trainsets, which will be purchased from the manufacturer CAF by the Sud region for €328 million. The total operating contract for SNCF is worth €1.8 billion.
A 30% increase in train capacity expected from SNCF
This new batch awarded by the Southern Region concerns the so-called Zou! lines on 5 routes: Marseille/Aubagne/Toulon/Hyères, Marseille/Toulon/Les Arcs Draguignan, Marseille/Aix-en-Provence/Pertuis, Marseille/Gap/Briançon and Briançon/Gap/Valence. To meet its commitments, particularly with regard to increasing frequencies, SNCF will also benefit from the Region's investment of €46m to modernise the maintenance workshop in Marseille, as well as the construction of a second one to be located at the other end of the line, in Briançon. In its choice, faced with Transdev's competing offer, the Southern Region preferred to play the safety and stability card, hoping to successfully transport visitors to the future Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games in 2030 to Briançon. The Alps line will be one of the routes used to reach the Olympic venues.
