Introducing two new trains to boost transport links to the Principality

The Prince's Government has secured the procurement of two REGIO N2 trains through a purchase agreement signed with SNCF Sud Azur on Friday 20 December. These new trains will improve public passenger rail service between Grasse, Cannes, and Ventimiglia.

These two additional trains, each with a seating capacity of almost 500 (i.e. accommodating around 1,000 passengers), will join the existing fleet operating in the Principality to strengthen the transport network during rush hour (four long trains in the morning and evening between Cannes and Monaco) and ensure regular quarter-hourly services throughout the day (124 TER trains per day in both directions of Monaco).

The procurement of these trains is part of the shared objective between the Région Sud and the Principality to improve rail services to Monaco Monte-Carlo station, the third-busiest station in the region in terms of TER traffic, with eight million passengers in 2023 (+20% over the first seven months of 2024). The TER service, the most important alternative to private vehicles used by both commuters and visitors to Monaco, continues to see a steady rise in passengers.

The servicing and maintenance of these two trains, which are due to enter service in the second quarter of 2027, will be carried out at the new Nice Saint-Roch maintenance centre, as opposed to Marseille; to reduce the amount of time the equipment is out of service.

Funded by a lump-sum subsidy of up to €40.4 million, with operational costs to be covered by the Région Sud, the purchase of these two trains from Sud Azur reflects the close partnership between the Principality and the Région Sud.