EU representatives invited to Monaco for Railway Improvements
Recently, Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, Minister of Public Works, the Environment and Urban Development, welcomed a delegation from the European Union and neighbouring countries to Monaco’s Railway Station to announce the financement and improvement of train services. The development and maintenance of the TER trains in 2020 is already helping the rail service to and from Monaco improve.
As part of their two-day visit to the Southern region of the Mediterranean Corridor for a transport infrastructure project focused on rail, Iveta Radičová, the European Coordinator for the Mediterranean Corridor was accompanied by Philippe Tabarot, Acting Vice-President for Transport, Intermodality and Travel in the SUD PACA Region. Officials from Nice, Liguria and Piedmont were also present for the meeting.
The aim of the meeting was to present the cross-border challenges along the Nice-Monaco-Ventimiglia-Genoa section of the corridor. Marie-Pierre Gramaglia noted that as an economic stakeholder at the heart of this vast region, the Principality hosts nearly 45,000 French and Italian employees who travel to their workplaces in Monaco by road or rail every day.
The government is already promoting a modal shift towards public transport, with the goal of reducing car traffic by 20% between now and 2030. This represents nearly 13,000 vehicles entering and leaving the Principality, and 10,000 vehicles internally. According to Marie-Pierre Gramaglia, improving rail access to Monaco is a priority for the government’s transport policy.
The train, and more specifically the TER service, is a main alternative to the car for travelling to Monaco. In 2018, 6.4 million journeys to and from Monaco were made by TER.
Monaco is already improving and expanding the current rail service to the Principality, with an increase in the number of trains running during morning and evening peak hours.
