The history of the Cuneo-Nice railway line has reached an important milestone: Italian Minister of Infrastructure and Transport, Maurizio Lupi, announced funding of €29 million for the maintenance, management, and modernization of the Cuneo-Nice line. The funding will be secured through an amendment to the Italian law known as the “stability” law for 2014.
The railway line, whose management is shared between the French State and the Italian State, has long been threatened with closure due to the lack of agreement between the two countries on its management and modernization. The 1970 bilateral agreement imposed the financial responsibility for renewal, maintenance, and management of the connection on Italy. However, given the current economic situation and changed historical context, the Italian State had requested a more equitable distribution of management costs.
The funding, announced by Minister Lupi on November 29 through a letter published in La Stampa, aligns with the conclusions of the Italy-France Summit on November 20. During this summit, both countries acknowledged the importance of maintaining an active connection between Nice and Cuneo, also considering its historical, cultural, environmental, and, of course, touristic value.
The Italian Chamber of Commerce has long supported the initiative aimed at enhancing the Turin-Cuneo-Nice line, working in collaboration with French and Italian institutions: “Our goal is to foster economic and cultural exchanges between Italy and France, and this cannot happen if there are no efficient infrastructures between our two countries and if we continue, 70 years after World War II, to think in terms of borders. We are here to unite our countries, not divide them!” states Agostino Pesce, Director General of the Italian Chamber of Commerce of Nice. “This is a first result, after years of fighting for the survival of a historic line and for the resumption of its touristic, cultural, and commercial development. We are proud to have contributed to this first outcome.”
