The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region (Région Sud), in the south of France, has unveiled its first new-generation Omneo train, manufactured by Alstom and operated by Transdev. The train will enter service on the Marseille–Toulon–Nice rail route from 29 June 2025.
The official unveiling took place on 19 May 2025 and was attended by Renaud Muselier, President of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region and Deputy President of Régions de France, alongside Thierry Mallet, CEO of Transdev, and Frédéric Wiscart, President of Alstom France.
“We are the first region in France to open our regional rail services to competition. This project reflects our commitment to delivering a more ambitious public service — with a doubled train service on this line and unchanged fares, which will be reduced by 20% from 1 July 2025. More reliable and more sustainable trains, always at the service of passengers,” Renaud Museli said.
Driven by the Région Sud, this move to introduce competition in regional rail services will double the frequency on the Marseille–Toulon–Nice rail route, with one train every hour on weekdays (14 return journeys, 16 at weekends), unchanged fares for season ticket holders, and a fully revamped on-board experience.
The new trains feature first and second-class seating with dedicated luggage areas and offer a range of modern amenities, including Wi-Fi, an entertainment portal, light local catering, and 12 bicycle spaces per trainset. Accessibility has also been improved with step-free boarding for passengers with reduced mobility. Onboard staffing will be enhanced, with personnel dedicated to customer service and private security agents equipped with body cameras, supplementing the existing CCTV system.
Each 110-metre trainset can accommodate 400 seated passengers, or up to 730 in a coupled double formation. The trains are capable of speeds up to 200 km/h (currently limited to 160 km/h on the existing line) and are powered entirely by green electricity.
The new Omneo fleet will replace five ageing Corail trains currently operating on the route — some of which have been in service for 45 years. To support their operation, a 2,000 m² maintenance facility has been constructed in Nice, designed with environmental sustainability in mind. This site will ensure high-quality servicing and maximum train availability, key to meeting the target punctuality rate of 97.5%.
The new-generation Omneo train was first presented in November 2023, ahead of dynamic overspeed testing on the Velim test ring in the Czech Republic. Alstom and Transdev signed a EUR 250 million contract for the delivery of 16 double-decker, eight-car trainsets capable of operating at speeds of up to 200 km/h.
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