End of engineering works on the rail connection between Nice and Ventimiglia

©Direction de la Communication

Following the completion of works to reinforce the Villefranche-sur-Mer tunnel last December, work on the Cimiez tunnel has also now been completed on time.

The alternating traffic management system has therefore been removed. Trains are once again able to use both tracks between Nice and Eze-sur-Mer stations, allowing rail services between Nice, Menton, and Ventimiglia to return to normal.

From Monday 4 April, there were once more four peak-time TER Sud services every hour running in both directions.

The two major engineering works projects mentioned above were launched on 30 August 2021 and carried out simultaneously, in order to limit disruption on one of France busiest lines.

The work was necessary to maintain the railway line’s level of performance. The projects involved reinforcing a 900-metre stretch of the Villefranche-sur-Mer tunnel, and successively relaying the entirety of both tracks in the Cimiez tunnel, while replacing the drainage system. The works took almost five years to prepare, and involved up to 70 staff each day.

To reduce the impact on commuters and visitors to the Principality, the SNCF, at the request of the Prince’s Government, arranged replacement and compensatory services during the works (rail replacement bus service, timetable changes). This was particularly important for staff at Princess Grace Hospital, hotels, restaurants, and shops, whose working hours did not coincide with the last trains.

The company Klaxit, which runs the car-sharing app, was also called upon to offer an alternative means of transport for people working in the Principality, including in the evenings.