The Steering Committee of tram line 5 met on April 24. The project is progressing administratively, but a portion of the population is protesting new delays, particularly regarding the extension towards the L’Ariane district.
Meeting on Thursday, April 24, 2025, the Steering Committee of tram line 5 reviewed the progress of the project. Several local elected officials were present: Gaรซl Nofri, Deputy Mayor of Nice and Vice-President of the Metropolis in charge of transportation, Ladislas Polski, Mayor of La Trinitรฉ, Robert Nardelli, Mayor of Drap, and Jean-Jacques Carlin, Mayor of Saint-Andrรฉ de la Roche.
The project has reached an important milestone. After a public consultation that received a majority of favorable opinions, the Metropolis Nice Cรดte d’Azur forwarded the file to the prefecture. A public inquiry will be launched in the second half of 2025, before the start of construction.
The future line 5 will connect the Palais des Expositions to Drap, passing through La Trinitรฉ. It will cover 7.5 kilometers in 25 minutes with 16 stations. Its cost is estimated at 376 million euros excluding tax. The objective is twofold: to ease traffic congestion between the east of Nice and the Paillon valley, and to improve living conditions in the affected neighborhoods. This project also represents an effort to reduce road traffic and pollution by promoting the use of public transportation.
L’Ariane is Still Waiting
The L’Ariane district remains out of the route. For its residents, this absence has become a symbol of neglect. In a public statement, Julien Picot, Departmental Secretary of the PCF 06, denounces a delay deemed unacceptable.
“For 25 years, the residents of L’Ariane have been waiting for a tram line. A quarter of a century of contempt, neglect, and promises. Today, Christian Estrosi is once again postponing this vital project, pushing line 5 to 2030. Why? The residents of L’Ariane are not second-class citizens.”
According to him, this new schedule does not meet the urgent needs of the area. He accuses the Mayor of Nice of acting based on personal objectives rather than the collective interest. The Communist Party of the Alpes-Maritimes calls for mobilization to put L’Ariane back on the public transportation map.
“What is needed are actions,” insists Julien Picot, who calls for a different vision of the city. A city that would prioritize investment in working-class neighborhoods and equal access to transportation.
The local left wishes to refocus this debate within a broader framework. It mentions a persistent territorial divide between the west and east of Nice. The tramway, in this perspective, becomes a tool for social justice.
For now, no specific commitment has been made regarding an extension of the route towards L’Ariane. On the side of the Metropolis, the preference is to advance step by step. The current priority is the public inquiry and the schedule of the current phase. The future will depend on budgetary decisions and feedback from the population.
The tension surrounding line 5 illustrates a persistent divide in the territory. On one side, an infrastructure in preparation. On the other, a district that feels forgotten. Six months from the launch of the public inquiry, the debate is far from over.
