During the public session of the Metropolitan Council, Christian Estrosi left the assembly hall for a good half-hour. The curiosity surrounding his absence is satisfied by the information of his meeting at the Nice-Riquier station with the association of the Grasse-Vintimille TER Castaways.
The latter (who should rather be called the survivors!) handed him their 10 recommendations aimed at improving the railway transport situation in PACA, according to a statement.
The statement further adds: “Christian Estrosi has taken these proposals on board, of which 4 will be prioritized and 2 additional ones have been announced:
1 – Passenger compensation:
(i) Delay: reimbursement of at least 20% of the subscription from the following month if TER punctuality was below 90% during the month, and 30% if below 80%…
(ii) Cancellation: compensation for users of 18 euros per train-km from the 1st km not completed, regardless of the reason for cancellation.
2 – More numerous and reliable trains during peak hours.
3 – The new SNCF agreement will end on December 3, 2019, to benefit from the opening to competition. It will impose penalties on the SNCF in case of default, which will be redistributed to users.
4 – Consideration of the transnational dimension: announcements in French and Italian, SNCF/TER/PACA ticket machine at the Vintimille station, satisfaction surveys…
5 – The Multimodal Card: A single card that will allow easy travel across the Region with all modes of transport.
6 – Decentralization of services and maintenance: Regional services in all territories.
Finally, the LR candidate for the PACA Region hammered the point home: “The TERs of our region hold all the (negative) records in France.”
While the electoral goal is evident, it is nevertheless true that the quality of regional railway service is far from meeting international standards and user expectations (whether they are castaways or not) who have the right to a reliable service.
Fortunately for them, the elections are near and from 2016, with the implementation of measures planned by the likely future President, the “castaways” might be rescued from their misfortunes.
Moreover, following the request of the UFC Que Choisir, Christian Estrosi, President of the Nice-Côte d’Azur Metropolis, has had a wish concerning this subject adopted during the Metropolitan Council.
