I have therefore listened a lot and reflected, even too much according to some who asked me to decide as quickly as possible. But I believe that this preparatory work should not be rushed under any circumstances, so I took the necessary time for quality work, betting on collective intelligence. I came to realize that I was definitely not alone in having great and beautiful ambitions for Nice Côte d’Azur…” It was a true compromise choice that Christian Estrosi proposed during the conference on the “transport plan” of the Nice Côte d’Azur Urban Community, thus taking up the ideas and proposals of members from the various working groups, from both his majority and the opposition.
“It was out of the question to repeat the same mistakes as for line 1 concerning the routes Dante / Buffa / Liberté/ Hôtel des Postes / Pastorelli / Joffre. That is why I decided that this section would be underground between Grosso and Arson Square, to emerge and join the air at Riquier.” Thus, the East/West line 2 will start from St. Augustin to the intersection of rue de France and Grosvenor Boulevard using the existing bus route, passing through 7 stations (Cassin / Saint-Augustin, Cassin/Kirchner, Parc Ferber, Vallon Barla, Fabron/Hôpital Lenval, Magnan, and Grosso) to then go underground to the SNCF station of Riquier, passing through 8 stations (Alsace Lorraine, Musiciens, Jean Médecin (with a connection to line 1), Place Wilson (serving the future Town Hall), Garibaldi (with a connection to line 1), Ile de Beauté (the port), Place Arson, and terminating at the Riquier Station.
Line 1 has not been forgotten considering its extension is also scheduled for 2011, with it extending to Pasteur Hospital, then to Ariane and La Trinité, while line 3 will accompany the OIN project linking the Nice Côte d’Azur Airport to the future Grand Stadium with a new depot located on the Var plain.
A transport plan unveiled and new projects aiming to improve the daily life of the people of the Côte d’Azur, the calendar is well filled for the coming years with a budget estimated at 450 million euros for the completion of line 2.
Click on the thumbnail to enlarge the plan.
The Work Schedule
From 2010 to 2012: Improvement and creation of performances of dedicated East/West bus routes,
2011: Start of works for the extension of line T1
2013: Commissioning of the extension of line T1 to Pasteur, start of tunnel drilling works in downtown for line T2, and start of works for line T3 (Airport – Grand Stadium),
2014: Start of works on Avenue de la Californie for line T2
2015: Commissioning of tramway line T3, Var plain Airport / Grand Stadium
2016: Commissioning of tram line T2, West-East connection: St Augustin-Port
After 2016: Continuation of the transport plan implementation.
