Line 4 of the Nice-Cagnes-sur-Mer Tram: Administrative Court Rejects Local Residents’ Appeal

The administrative court in Nice rejected, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, the appeal filed by residents against the declaration of public utility of the future line 4 of the tram between Nice and Cagnes-sur-Mer. This decision validates the regularization of the project file on financing and removes a major legal obstacle for this connection initially planned for 2030 and which should come to fruition in 2040.

The tramway line 4 project between Nice and Cagnes-sur-Mer has reached a new milestone. The administrative court in Nice rejected, on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, the appeal brought by several residents against the declaration of public utility of the project.

The dispute concerned the prefectural order of October 26, 2023, declaring this future 7.1-kilometer line to be of public utility. The applicants contested notably the economic and social evaluation, particularly the financing conditions.

In May 2025, the administrative court in Nice had chosen to stay proceedings. The Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Authority and the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes had then obtained a twelve-month extension to complete the file with a more detailed analysis of the financing methods and organize new public consultation.

The court validates the file regularization

After examining the submitted elements, the court considers that the requested regularization has been carried out. In its decision, the court considers that “the economic and social evaluation attached to the file now meets the requirements set by the Transport Code in that it contains sufficient analysis of these financing conditions.”

The decision also notes that the file identifies the organizations likely to participate in financing, clarifies the estimated share of each contributor, and presents the various possible financing methods. The defect identified in the May 2025 judgment is therefore considered to be regularized. The declaration of public utility is confirmed.

Listed in the transport master plans of the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Authority, line 4 must connect Nice Saint-Augustin to Cagnes-sur-Mer via Saint-Laurent-du-Var. The 7.1-kilometer route should allow connecting the two terminals in less than 23 minutes. Service launch remains envisaged but now for 2040. The financing is to be supported by the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Authority, the Alpes-Maritimes department, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, and the State.

The decision comes in a deeply changed political context since the 2026 municipal elections. Elected mayor of Cagnes-sur-Mer in spring, Bryan Masson had announced the abandonment of the tram project, estimated at 320 million euros. Although the declaration of public utility had already been obtained and preparatory work had begun, the main construction had not started. The new municipal majority now wishes to develop a high-level bus service. During an interview in April 2026, Bryan Masson stated: “we will install a high-level bus service, that is to say a bus on dedicated lanes.”

The administrative court’s decision does not, however, end the political struggle. When questioned after the ruling by our colleagues at Nice Matin, Bryan Masson reiterated his opposition to the project: “This is a decision that I acknowledge. I was elected on a program, on a promise. And I will apply that. I was elected by the people of Cagnes, in the first round, for other work on mobility and public transport. We’ll see later the public utility or otherwise of this project.”

Conversely, Julien Picot, communist elected official in Nice and at the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Authority, welcomed this court decision. In a statement, Julien Picot believes that the ruling “validates the continuation of the line 4 tram project between Nice and Cagnes-sur-Mer” and “confirms the general interest of an essential project for mobility in the west of our metropolitan area.” The official now calls on the Nice Côte d’Azur Metropolitan Authority to continue the necessary steps to enable the construction of this new line.