Région Sud launches France’s first open market TER trains
Région Sud was the first French région to have set things in motion, in 2019, to open up its TER services to competition © Regis Cintas-Flores
The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region officially launched its new “Zou!” regional train service on the Cannes-Nice-Menton line, on Friday 14 February.
The service will be operated by Sud Azur, the first time that a French TER (regional express train) network has been opened up to competition.
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Local and national representatives were present at the inauguration, including Céline Caron-Dagioni, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development of Monegasque, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice and President of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Area, and Christophe Fanichet, CEO of SNCF Voyageurs. M. Fanichet said: “With SNCF Voyageurs Sud Azur, we are opening a new chapter in the history of France’s railways.”
A train every 15 minutes
Philippe Tabarot, the French Transport Minister, stressed that opening up the market was a major driver of service improvement for users. The new service is due to provide a train every 15 minutes during the day, from 5.45 am to 10 pm, extended to 2 am at weekends.
“I am very pleased to see this project, which was launched with Renaud Muselier, coming to fruition today, almost 10 years ahead of the mandatory deadline for the regions. Opening up to competition is a powerful driver for improving the quality of service for users, a priority that is central to my efforts as Minister,” he said.
The Region has invested €164 million to modernise 22 renovated trains and €62 million in a new supervision and maintenance centre based in Nice.
According to Renaud Muselier, President of the Region, these improvements have already led to a 10% increase in passenger numbers and 97% punctuality.
The move is part of a wider process of opening up the entire TER network to competition, which should be extended to all lines by 2034.