On Monday, February 28, the State, the concerned local authorities, and SNCF Réseau signed the financing protocol for the first two phases of the new Provence Côte d’Azur line, which will connect Marseille and Nice.
After the public inquiry, which involved these first two phases and was participated by 1,400 people, the financing protocol has just been signed.
This document, signed by the Minister Delegate for Transport, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari, pertains to an amount of 3.5 billion euros. This sum will be covered 40% by the State, 40% by the PACA region’s local authorities, and the remaining 20% will be requested from Europe.
900 million euros will be allocated to phase 1 of the project, which notably includes the construction of a station at Nice airport, the opening of an RER in Toulon, as well as developments in Marseille that should be operational by 2030.
Finally, 2.6 billion euros will be allocated to phase 2 of the project. It includes developments between Cannes and Nice, as well as the drilling of a tunnel under Marseille, expected to open by 2035.
The first works are scheduled for 2024.
“The new Provence Côte d’Azur line will improve train regularity and increase their supply for the entire Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, and it will eventually create a true Mediterranean rail arc” wrote the Ministry of Ecological Transition in a statement.
Following these first two phases, two more are also planned. Phase 3 involves the construction of a new line between Nice and Cannes. Phase 4 plans sections between Aubagne (Bouches-du-Rhône) and Toulon, as well as between Cannes and Le Muy (Var).
