FRANCE: A fleet of eight diesel-battery bi-mode trains, renovated stations, better reliability and easier ticketing have been promised under a modernisation programme agreed for the 1 000 mm gauge Nice – Digne line operated by Chemins de Fer de Provence.
Funding worth a total of €130m provided by the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region will pay for the improvements.
Unveiled at an event at Plan-du-Var La Vésubie near Levens, the programme builds on an earlier package of enhancements that included the provision of 20 min interval services in the morning and evening peak periods at the southern end of the route. This rapidly drove up patronage, generating a 30% traffic increase in less than 12 months.
Due to enter service at the end of 2027, the future air-conditioned rolling stock fleet, to be built at a cost of €56m, will provide a 77% reduction in carbon emissions. The trains will be maintained at a €42m depot and workshop to be built at Lingostière with completion due in late 2026.
A new information and ticketing system will be put in place in stages, starting in 2025. This will include installation of automated vending machines at selected stations and fitting of ticket validators in the trains.
The modernisation programme also includes renovation of stations at Puget-Théniers, Entrevaux, Annot, Thorame-Haute, Saint-André-les-Alpes and Digne-les-Bains.
Other infrastructure work covers reconstruction of a section of the 2 km Moriez tunnel where a 25 m section about 400 m from the western portal collapsed in February 2019. The job is due to be completed at the end of 2025, paving the way for through rail services from Nice to Digne-les-Bains to be reinstated from early 2026.
The 151 km route has 25 tunnels with a combined length of 11 km and two covered cuttings. The line also features 102 masonry or metal bridges and numerous other structures. Services carry around 500 000 passengers a year.
