Since 29 June 2025, Transdev has taken over operation of the Marseille- Marseille line.Toulon-Nice following the call for tenders issued by the Sud Provence Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region. It thus became the first line in France to be contracted as part of the opening up to competition in the regions. At the end of the first six months of operation, an initial assessment will be made. very positive "This was the verdict of the new operator, which has just come under German ownership following the acquisition of a further 32% of its capital by the German group Rethman.
" The promise of one train per hour has been kept, and regularity stands at 97.2% against a target of 97.5%. We have carried 2.5 million passengers since the beginning of July, which represents an increase of 22% compared with the same period last year. Of course, we are operating twice as many trains and offering more frequencies, with up to 16 round trips a day. Customer satisfaction has risen to 4.7 out of 5, thanks to new equipment that meets customer expectations. "Claude Steinmetz, Chairman of Transdev Rail, is delighted with the results. confident for 2026 ".
The carrier, which was initially obliged to lease some of the trainsets, is now operating all 16 trainsets ordered from Alstom. " Some 190 people work on this operation, including former SNCF railway workers that we have taken over, as well as new blood, on-board staff and drivers that we have trained. Our teams work closely with SNCF networks and Gares & Connexions to constantly improve our service.he adds. This is necessary because the tracks and stations on the Marseille-Toulon-Nice line have been undergoing major works since last year and until 2030, in order to reduce journey times and allow more regional trains, TGVs and freight trains to run.
Nancy-Contrexéville on target for the end of 2027
" 2026 will be a year of consolidation for the Marseille-Toulon-Nice route. Things are under control and the momentum is there. This will enable us to attack new markets. "Claude Steinmetz continued yesterday at a meeting of Afra, the French Rail Association, which brings together companies other than SNCF operating in France. In fact, Transdev is fully committed to the revival of the Nancy-Contrexéville line, on which 16 trains will be running from December 2027. The overall €200m project is an ambitious one, involving a major overhaul of the tracks and the creation of a maintenance and storage centre for the trains at Mirecourt. Transdev has committed to eventually offering 30 daily return trips (16 return trips Nancy-Pont-Saint-Vincent and 14 return trips Nancy-Contrexéville) on this 75 km line, which will enable the 500,000 or so passengers expected to use it each year to travel from Nancy to Contrexéville in 1 hour 10 minutes via 10 stops, including Mirecourt and Vittel. " This is a reopening of a secondary line that would never have been possible without our investments and those of our partners in this project. "he insists.
Several calls for tender on the menu for 2026
Transdev is not planning to stop there, with the submission of an initial bid for the operation of the "Reims star" scheduled for the end of January as part of the competitive tendering procedure launched by the Grand Est Region for regional lines from Reims to Epernay, Fismes, Laon, Dijon, etc. The group will also be responding to the bid submitted by the same authority for the Strasbourg-Saint-Dié and Strasbourg-Sélestat (via Molsheim) lines. But before the summer, Transdev is expecting the result for the future operation of the "étoile de Saintes", corresponding to the TER lines of the former Poitou-Charentes region. It's a big deal, since it represents around 150 trains a day, with daily traffic of 14,000 passengers and services to Poitiers, La Rochelle, Angoulême and Niort. " Transdev doesn't just focus on profitable routes, we also do our bit for regional development, without neglecting the stars. "says Claude Steinmetz. And he points out that 78% of the regional rail services still have to be put out to competitive tender between now and 2034. The battles with SNCF, RATP Dev, Le train, Renfe, etc. promise to be fierce.
