Nice Premium: Can you remind us what the LGV is?
Jean Icart: It stands for “Lignes à Grande Vitesse,” or High-Speed Lines. These are intended to accommodate high-speed trains that can reach speeds of around 300 km/h, thereby reducing travel times for long distances.
NP: When will it be operational?
JI: We cannot say. It depends on the studies. There are so many political and economic complications, and given the current crisis, there is no funding. The chosen route is the most expensive. The metropolitan route costs 4 billion euros more than a direct route. I believe they have enormous technical difficulties with the passage between Marseille and Toulon, even at the study level. It is difficult to make predictions. It will probably be, at best, in about twenty years.
NP: When will the LGV serve the PACA region?
JI: Currently, it serves the western part of the PACA region because the TGV already reaches Aix-en-Provence and Marseille. So the PACA region is served in the west. The eastern region, the area around Nice, which borders Italy, is not served. This is precisely the problem we face: we need this TGV to connect Nice to Paris in less than 4 hours to help alleviate the congestion at Nice Airport. It is approaching saturation. One-third of the flights and time slots at Nice Airport are used to travel to Paris. It is crucial that we have a high-speed rail line to Paris that could free up time slots for international air connections.
NP: Why will it serve the PACA region after all the others?
JI: We see that the other LGV lines, which are in the planning stage, are getting underway. That is not the case here, even though we have a very significant and urgent need for this connection. It is stalling. The regional Prefect had the courage to state the facts. He expressed a very pessimistic outlook on the future of this line, which prompted me to react. The figures speak for themselves; we have a significant need for a high-speed line. Politically, we have not weighed in as much as Marseille and Aix. The chosen route clearly shows this: it is the least favorable route for us that has been chosen.
In the current scenario, I recommend reversing the order of the projects and starting from Nice, heading west. Currently, they are thinking about and planning this operation from Marseille, heading east. I say we should approach the problem from the other direction. Starting from Nice and going west would allow us to free up the existing railway line as soon as possible. The railway line, which is 150 years old and carries long-distance trains, regional express trains (TER), and freight, is saturated. We need to free up this railway for local passenger transport to establish a real RER (regional express network) for the Côte d’Azur. But for that, we need long-distance passenger transport and the LGV, high-speed trains, to run on another track. Starting the LGV from Nice would be a much more pragmatic and suitable approach for our situation. It would not harm Marseille and Aix-en-Provence, which are already served by the TGV.
Finally, regarding funding, I note that RFF has turned to private financing (TGV Tours-Bordeaux, bypassing Nimes Montpellier). Why not for us?
NP: Have you already proposed these modifications?
JI: Yes. I proposed them to the regional Prefect, the authorities of the regional Prefecture. I also spoke with RFF (French Railway Network), SNCF, etc.
NP: What were the reactions of the people you spoke to about these modifications?
JI: They said, why not. You are right. Why not start with Nice? By the way, this was envisioned in the Cousquer report. Now that there are significant delays with the Marseille/Toulon route, this should be leveraged to start with Nice. This is a new angle I’ve taken to try to move forward despite everything. Otherwise, maybe it will have to go through Italy if we can’t make it via Marseille. This is another complexity, involving cross-border cooperation with Italy and Monaco, and it means opening a new file.
