Two projects were considered: the northern route, which would run alongside the A8 motorway and avoid major cities, and the “metropolitan route.” Ultimately, the latter, slightly more expensive option was chosen. This new line will allow residents of Nice to reach the capital and vice versa in 3 hours and 50 minutes, instead of the current 5 hours and 25 minutes. The cost of the high-speed line (LGV) is estimated at 15 billion euros.
Several arguments led the government to choose this route over the other. First, this LGV is part of a project for a line connecting Genoa to Barcelona. Secondly, from an environmental standpoint, the route will use existing lines. “A historic decision,” according to the Alternatifs who supported the chosen route.
Passing through major cities will help to relieve congestion on the regional network and also increase annual passenger numbers by 2 million.
However, construction will not begin until 2020 due to the reorganization of the Saint-Charles station in Marseille, which is currently overwhelmed. A new TGV station is also expected to be built east of Toulon. Another project in the Alpes-Maritimes includes an underground station that will handle all regional connections towards Cannes. There are still many uncertainties regarding the last kilometers of the route in Nice and the financing of the line, although a public-private partnership has already been mentioned.
Therefore, patience is required, as the high-speed line is not expected to be operational before 2024 or 2025.
