FRANCE: Funding has been finalised for the first phase of the Ligne Nouvelle Provence d’Azur project to upgrade the busy Marseille - Nice corridor to support a 66% increase in the number of daily services.
The planned launch of Services Express Régionaux Métropolitains operations around Marseille, Toulon and Nice aims to increase passenger numbers by 50%, with 23 million extra trips by 2035 of which 62% would be modal shift from road.
The LNPCA project is divided into two phases.
In December, the 11 authorities involved including the French government and Région Sud confirmed €1·23bn of funding for phase one. The first works are to start this year with main works in 2028-35.
Works in Marseille will include remodelling Marseille St-Charles station, construction of a new St-André station, and double-tracking of the line to Arenc-Euroméditerranée.
Work around Toulon will include upgrading St-Cyr-sur-Mer and La Pauline stations, and grade separation of the junction for the Hyères line at La Pauline.
Carnoules, Puget-Ville, Cuers-Pierrefeu and Solliès-Pont stations will be modernised.
A Nice Aéroport station will be built as a multimodal interchange and connected to the city’s tram network.
The proposed second phase would include the construction of an 8 km tunnel under Marseille including subterranean through platforms at Marseille St-Charles. Cannes-La-Bocca station would be rebuilt and various remodelling projects undertaken.
Studies for phase two are to be completed in 2027.
The total cost of both phases is put at €3·6bn, to be funded by the EU (20%), the French government (40%) and the Société de la Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d’Azur group of local and regional authorities (40%).
Separately, ETCS is to be deployed between Marseille and Vintimille.
