Page 12 - Monaco Economy 130-2
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A train every quarter of an hour for Christmas? By Milena Radoman
According to the Southern Region, the frequency of TER trains between Nice and Monaco is to be
increased to every fifteen minutes from December 15, 2024.
While a significant improvement in rail traffic modal shift from vehicles to regional trains is for commuters between Nice and Monaco”
was expected from June 2025 with the arrival the key to managing our cross-border traffic, are calling for: “We're all experiencing the
of the new operator Transdev, ending the SNCF reminds us. same thing. The platforms are packed, we
monopoly on regional trains, the situation Monaco station, the third largest in the have to elbow our way onto the train if we're
should improve for users from the end of southern region, set a record for passenger lucky enough to get on! Morning and evening!”
2024. At least, that's what Jean-Pierre Serrus, numbers in 2023, with 7.8 million passengers, describe the petitioners, taking the example
Vice-President in charge of transport and up 4% at the peak in 2019, before the Covid-19 of the “tiny 6.09 p.m. train, where people are
sustainable mobility in the Southern Region pandemic. Monaco station accounted for 8% crammed in, one on top of the other, not to
is promising, with a TER train every fifteen of the regional traffic recorded in 2022 (10.3% mention those who feel unwell and those
minutes (compared with one every half-hour in 2019), with 92 TER trains passing through who have to wait on the platform for the next
at present). “These are not promises, they are each day. “With the announcement of a train train...”. Something else that infuriates us: “We
commitments. Just judge the results. There is every quarter of an hour from December 2024, pay a subscription that increases every year
a rendez-vous for users to join us on December Monaco station is preparing for an increase for a service that is less than mediocre. Many
15,” he told France Bleu Azur in mid-March. in passenger numbers. An investment of ten passengers can't even get onto the trains, and
“The fifteen-minute scheduling throughout million euros is planned between now and 2030 they arrive late for work. For this very
the day, weekdays and weekends, (from 6 to accommodate them better, and this will go reason employers are finding it increasingly
a.m to 9.30 p.m) on the Cannes-Menton route mainly towards the renewal of the lifts and difficult to find staff...”.
will be effective from December 15, 2024. escalators,” explains Fabrice Morenon, General The Monegasque Government has also
This new service coincides with the start Manager of SNCF Hubs & Connexions, who is clearly expressed its dissatisfaction with the
of operations under the new public service in charge of managing the Monte-Carlo station. SNCF. Minister of State Pierre Dartout sent
contract with SNCF Sud Azur”, explains the an official letter “calling a spade a spade”.
Région Sud. This is good news for both users A Petition Denouncing Transport Conditions “The service provided is not worth what we
and the Monegasque government, de facto are paying. So we have stopped paying”, says
strengthening the mobility plan. If we hope to reach the target of 11.5 million Céline Caron Dagioni, referring to current
passengers a year, and get motorists to technical discussions with the Region and
The TER, the Only Solution abandon their cars in favour of the TER, there is SNCF voyageurs.
“The only real solution that is effective and no choice but to increase the frequency of TER
carbon-free, and that attracts a significant trains. That's what the thousand or so users Double the Offer with Transdev
number of passengers, is the TER. Let's face who have signed the petition demanding “that “We had the worst network in France with an
it,” Céline Caron-Dagioni, who believes that a the SNCF come up with concrete solutions 80% punctuality rate, 100 days of strikes a
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