Philippe Tabarot, Minister in Charge of Transport, will visit Nice this Friday, February 14th. He will be there to inaugurate the new regional train service Zou!.
Since 2019, a call for tenders was issued to operate these rail connections with the opening to competition. Ultimately, SNCF Voyageurs Sud Azur will manage the network. The objective is to improve service quality by offering more trains between Les Arcs – Draguignan and Ventimiglia. This new organization should allow for extended schedules, reduced waiting times, and better flow on one of the most heavily used railways in France, outside the Parisian region.
The minister will be accompanied by several local officials and railway sector leaders, including Renaud Muselier, President of the Sud Region, Christian Estrosi, Mayor of Nice, and Christophe Fanichet, Chairman and CEO of SNCF Voyageurs.
A Minister Committed to Transport Regulations
A senator for the LR party since 2020, Philippe Tabarot has introduced several transport-related bills. In 2024, he submitted a bill to limit the right to strike of railway workers during certain periods. This aims to include school holidays or public holidays. Adopted by the Senate in April against the government’s advice, this proposal has not yet been examined by the National Assembly.
In continuation of his efforts, Philippe Tabarot will engage with controllers aboard a Nice tram. One of the topics discussed will be transport security. This discussion comes just a few days after the adoption of the bill he sponsored on this subject by the National Assembly on February 11th.