Transdev is reinventing sustainable mobility for tomorrow

A Historic Milestone for French Rail Transport Thierry Mallet (CEO, Transdev Group): “It's historic — a truly significant moment. The Marseille–Nice line marks the first time a region has decided not to entrust a rail service to SNCF.” Renaud Muselier (President of the Southern Region): “We're the first in France, no less. We needed a partner, and Transdev was the one chosen.” Alix Lecadre (Rail Director, Transdev France): “Being a new entrant in the French rail market is anything but simple. We started from a blank page, where we had to write absolutely everything from scratch.” “It’s a crazy challenge — but an exciting one.” The Challenges of Launching and Producing the Service Vincent Destot (Regional Director, Transdev South): “You can feel the excitement rising — and a certain pressure as well. The Marseille–Nice story began in 2018 with the new railway reform law.” Thierry Mallet: “At the starting line, Transdev set off with a pebble in its shoe. The company had ordered 16 trainsets from Alstom and received only half.” “It was an extremely stressful period… we had to put real pressure on Alstom to move things forward.” Training and the Driver Profession Mélissa Vinckier (Train Driver): “After nine months of training, honestly, it’s a real source of pride to be able to drive this train from Marseille to Nice.” “I spent five years working in retail… and I wanted to change my life.” Thierry Mallet: “In Germany, we've historically trained our drivers, our mechanics, our teams. That means we’ve built a true Transdev train culture over the years.” A New Passenger Experience Renaud Muselier: “We’re moving to modern trains — comfortable, bike‑friendly trains where passengers feel safe on board.” “The commitment is 97% on‑time performance… and we've doubled the service, all for the same cost to the community.” Passenger Testimonial: “I’ve been taking this line for ten years… it wasn’t very clean, and it felt quite dark. This morning, when I got on the train, it was bright, spacious, and you could tell it was clean.” Conclusion and Perspectives Alix Lecadre: “From now on, we must deliver on our promise every single day. And that is a real challenge.” Thierry Mallet: “The first day is important, of course — fundamental even — but it’s not everything. What matters now is that, with the teams we’ve put in place, we can turn this first success into long‑term performance.”