A train every 15 minutes to cross the Toulon metropolitan area
On May 16, partners of the Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d’Azur (LNPCA) project presented the Toulon rail shuttle project in Toulon.
This new service will see the light of day after work to meet daily travel needs in the Toulon area, with more regular and more frequent trains. This shuttle is the symbol, in Var, of the operational launch of the construction project of the century: the LNPCA, which aims to eliminate the saturation of the rail network, improve local, national and international services and offer concrete solutions for more regular, faster and more ecological mobility.
MORE TRAINS 'The LNPCA, combined with the Services express régionaux métropolitains (carpooling lines, soft mobility, BHNS in the Toulon area), will promote attractiveness, the economic development of the territory, and also employment. Its deployment, a priority for the State, will have a highly positive impact on the daily mobility of the inhabitants of Var.' welcomed Philippe Mahé, préfet du Var.
For his part, Renaud Muselier, président de la Société de la Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d'Azur, added: 'A train every 15 minutes in 2030 in the Toulon agglomeration, that is what this wonderful construction site of the Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d'Azur will achieve! Financed up to €34.7 million by the Région, this project will offer residents more numerous, more regular and better-connected trains. With the Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d'Azur, we are acting for sustainable, efficient mobility solutions at the service of all.'
'The quality of life of the inhabitants of Var is our priority. To make the train more frequent, more adapted and better connected to other modes of public transport, the Département du Var wished to commit to local works for an ever more efficient daily service. They are well on track,' said Jean-Louis Masson, président du Département.
Finally, Jean-Pierre Giran, président de la Métropole TPM, also welcomed: 'The Ligne Nouvelle and the Toulon rail shuttle are a historic opportunity to transform our travel and reinforce the attractiveness of the Toulon Provence Méditerranée metropolitan area. This project will allow us to accommodate more trains on our lines, one every quarter of an hour between Ollioules, Toulon and La Pauline - Hyères, to move our territory forward.
' The Toulon shuttle constitutes an essential milestone in the creation of the future Service Express Régional Métropolitain (SERM) of the Toulon area. It has been financed to the tune of €347.45 million by the State, the 11 local authorities and the Établissements publics de coopération intercommunale members of the Société de la Ligne Nouvelle Provence Côte d'Azur. It is being carried out under the project management of SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions and will benefit from the support of the European Union.
Its commissioning is scheduled for 2030.
• PHASE 1 OF THE LNPCA PROJECT: The Toulon shuttle is part of Phase 1 of the LNPCA project. It will make it possible to: • Strengthen connections between the East and West of the metropolitan area. • Improve regularity and reinforce intermodality.
• Preserve the freight potential of the Marseille - Vintimille line. • Enable a frequency of 1 TER every quarter of an hour between Saint-Cyr-les-Lecques and La Pauline in La Garde, with 2 TER extended towards Carnoules and Les Arcs and 2 TER towards Hyères.
NECESSARY IMPROVEMENTS: • Reorganisation of the track layout at Carnoules and Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer stations for the turnaround and stabling of shuttle trains. • Grade separation of the Hyères line branch to streamline traffic on the Marseille - Vintimille line. • Reconfiguration of stations and creation of Multimodal Interchange Hubs in Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer and La Pauline-Hyères in La Garde.
• Removal of pedestrian track crossings and creation of footbridges to serve platforms in Solliès-Pont, Cuers-Pierrefeu, Puget-Ville and Carnoules.
Photos Philippe OLIVIER.