The Mayor of Nice and the President of the General Council have expressed great satisfaction following the decision by the Ministry of Transport to ask RFF to refer the issue to the public debate commission. The goal is to include the Nice-Vintimille section in the public inquiry for the LGV and to fund studies for the modernization of the Nice-Vintimille line. All this is part of the revision of the State-Region Planning Contract.
The PACA Regional Council has notably supported this project, as has the Principality of Monaco, considering it essential to give this rail link a European dimension within the Mediterranean arc of Spain-France-Italy. The inclusion of the LGV PACA section in the public utility declaration will allow steps to be taken so that the Nice-Vintimille link can be integrated into the European high-speed rail transport scheme. It remains to secure funding from Europe, including for the Marseille-Nice section.
With the modernization of the 30 km section connecting Nice to Vintimille, the capital of the French Riviera could be connected to Genoa in 1 hour 30 minutes (instead of 3 hours 15 minutes today) and to Milan in 3 hours 30 minutes (instead of the current 5 hours)*. This is projected for the 2018, 2020 horizon. Italy, for its part, has just launched significant modernization works allowing for efficient connectivity between Vintimille, Genoa, and Milan.
These major facilities will enhance the attractiveness of the cross-border region by facilitating passenger and freight transport, thus offering new opportunities for exchange and economic development. This rail link will serve Nice Côte d’Azur Airport via the future East-West tram line and the St Augustin multimodal station.
