First tendered private TER service starts

[U-Bahnfreund]

Since 5:57 this morning, the fast Marseille-Nice TER trains are the first in France in no longer being operated by SNCF, but Transdev Sud Inter-Métropoles, who won Région SUD-PACA's public tender.

Two-hourly Corail push-pull trains have been replaced by hourly trains using 16 new Régio 2N double-deck sets. Not all of them have been delivered on time, so Transdev is using some replacement trains on loan.

Ticketing remains the same as fares are set by the Région as well (yes, Interrail/Eurail stays valid)

Apart from enjoying the new trains and better timetable, passengers interviewed by media hope that Transdev will deliver a more punctual and reliable service.

Instagram Reel of the first departing train: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLegyIOML0q
Timetable pdf: https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/Fichehorairesligne6MarseilleNice_ZOU_TRSI.pdf
News video: https://www.bfmtv.com/marseille/rep...r-transdev-sur-les-rails_VN-202506290132.html

 

[stadler]

Since 5:57 this morning, the fast Marseille-Nice TER trains are the first in France in no longer being operated by SNCF, but Transdev Sud Inter-Métropoles, who won Région SUD-PACA's public tender.

Two-hourly Corail push-pull trains have been replaced by hourly trains using 16 new Régio 2N double-deck sets. Not all of them have been delivered on time, so Transdev is using some replacement trains on loan.

Ticketing remains the same as fares are set by the Région as well (yes, Interrail/Eurail stays valid)

Apart from enjoying the new trains and better timetable, passengers interviewed by media hope that Transdev will deliver a more punctual and reliable service.

Instagram Reel of the first departing train: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DLegyIOML0q
Timetable pdf: https://ter-fiches-horaires.sncf.fr/publish/Fichehorairesligne6MarseilleNice_ZOU_TRSI.pdf
News video: https://www.bfmtv.com/marseille/rep...r-transdev-sur-les-rails_VN-202506290132.html

Another step towards making the French railways even more disjointed. I hate this Mainland European push towards tendered private contracts everywhere. TER has already been going downhill in recent years under SNCF and i doubt splitting it up even more will improve things. The better timetable is certainly good news but it remains to be seen if Transdev will actually improve anything else. I can not see the switch of operator making it any more punctual or reliable.

 

[brooklynbound]

It made the main evening news tonight on France2, their equivalent to BBC1. The new trains look a significant improvement. Vox pops featured people happy to be on clean trains and hoping that time keeping will improve.

 

[williamn]

Another step towards making the French railways even more disjointed. I hate this Mainland European push towards tendered private contracts everywhere. TER has already been going downhill in recent years under SNCF and i doubt splitting it up even more will improve things. The better timetable is certainly good news but it remains to be seen if Transdev will actually improve anything else. I can not see the switch of operator making it any more punctual or reliable.

If SNCF was interested in making things better for the passenger then maybe they would have got the contract. Maybe this will be the motivation they need to improve. Despite the average Brits view of France as some sort of railway nirvana I find it anything but.

 

[NCT]

Another step towards making the French railways even more disjointed. I hate this Mainland European push towards tendered private contracts everywhere. TER has already been going downhill in recent years under SNCF and i doubt splitting it up even more will improve things. The better timetable is certainly good news but it remains to be seen if Transdev will actually improve anything else. I can not see the switch of operator making it any more punctual or reliable.

The diversification of ideas enabled by liberalisation has delivered something SNCF has never done when it had monopoly on thought leadership (or lack thereof) - clockface timetabling on the TER networks. The Grand Est network now operates a Strasbourg node centred on 15/45 that's compatible with the in-development Deutschlandtakt. The only things that stick out now are SNCF's commercial INOUI and Ouigo paths which are all over the place. If SNCF isn't willingly to fall in line then frankly Ilisto will get there first.

If the French government is interested in having a railway that works for passengers, then it should set up RDG-like bodies and processes instead of trying to protect SNCF's monopoly.

== Doublepost prevention - post automatically merged: 2 Jul 2025 ==


NEW POST

Under the new concession the Marseille - Nice TERs have now been increased to hourly from the previous two-hourly.

Paris - Nice TGVs and OGVs have increased for 6tpd (from memory) to 10tpd. Is this a permanent increase or normal seasonal variation?