RAIL

Globally, Transdev operates 900 trains daily, transporting 300 million passengers per year on 8,000 km of track.

Our global rail presence

Present in six countries, the Transdev Group operates 80 rail lines.

Transdev operates in Germany (the leading private regional rail operator after DB), Sweden, France, the United States (rail maintenance), Canada (Toronto subway line from 2031), and New Zealand.
80 railway lines, including 58 in Germany (since 1998), 14 in Sweden (since 1999), 5 lines in New Zealand, 1 in the United States for maintenance only, 2 in France (Carhaix-Guingamp-Paimpol & Panoramique des Dômes – Before the Marseille-Toulon-Nice line was put into service).

Everything Changes Except the View – An Original Documentary on the Marseille–Toulon–Nice Line by Transdev

Since June 29, 2025, Transdev has been operating a new rail service along the Marseille–Toulon–Nice coastal corridor, marking a historic milestone in the opening of rail traffic to competition in France. Led by the Sud Region, this initiative doubles train frequency, with departures every hour on weekdays and up to 16 round trips on weekends. Nine stations are served, from Marseille Saint-Charles to Nice-Ville, with a journey time of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
“Everything Changes Except the View” offers an inside look at a historic transformation: the first regional railway line in France to be opened to competition. For the first time, Transdev opens its doors and reveals the behind-the-scenes efforts of a human, technical and territorial project of unprecedented scale: the launch and operation of the Marseille–Toulon–Nice line.

Over several months, our teams followed the women and men who made this journey possible: drivers, maintenance technicians, station staff, line managers, rail experts, project directors, TRSI teams… All of them key contributors to a project that is reshaping the mobility landscape in the southern region of France.

View the transcript

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.”

Transdev and rail transport worldwide

Transdev operates

900

trains/day

300

million passengers/year,

8000

km of tracks

France – Reopening of the Nancy-Contrexéville line

The consortium comprising NGE, Transdev and Banque des Territoires (Groupe Caisse des Dépôts) has been awarded the public service concession for the Nancy-Contrexéville railway line by the Région Grand Est.

It’s a first in two respects: it’s the first rail contract awarded by the Grand Est Region since the opening of the market to competition, and the first contract in France to be operated under a new model, enabling a single service provider to operate the rail service and manage the infrastructure.

Closed since 2016, this essential regional line will be brought back to life thanks to a 22-year partnership between NGE Concessions, Transdev and Banque des Territoires (Groupe Caisse des Dépôts). This reopening represents a crucial step in the opening up of the line to competition, as well as a powerful symbol for the attractiveness of the western Vosges and the southern part of the département of Meurthe-et-Moselle. Then, in 2027, there will be 30 daily round trips between Nancy and Contrexéville.

Germany – Confirmed leadership since 1998

Transdev is Germany’s leading private rail operator, with a history that dates back over 125 years. Transdev is active in the regional railway market with contracts by the regional public transport authorities since the opening to competition in 1998. Transdev also runs many bus networks all over Germany.

Through its many subsidiaries and brands like NordWestBahn, Bayerische Regiobahn, Mitteldeutsche Regiobahn or S-Bahn Hannover, the Group operates a total of 58 regional lines all over Germany, covering more than 3,500 kilometers of network. Every year, over 141 million passengers use these trains, served by 222 electric trains and 280 railcars.

The railway networks are spread across most of Germany’s Länder, including Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg, Rheinland-Pfalz, North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, Bremen, Schleswig-Holstein and Saxony. Transdev embodies a model of regional contract operation by public transport authorities, combining operational excellence and adaptation to local needs.

From long-distance regional lines (such as the international connections from Munich to the Austrian border in Salzburg and Innsbruck), to regional and innercity S-Bahn networks (with six Bremen S-Bahn lines and 10 Hanover S-Bahn lines), local lines and even short lines (four in Baden-Württemberg), Transdev serves many regions of Germany, mainly for daily mobility but also for tourism like the Munich to the Bavarian Alps connections.

Sweden – A wide range of rail services

In Sweden, Transdev has been operating several types of rail services since 1999:

Mälartåg, a regional rail line to the west of Stockholm, operated by Transdev since June 2024.
Transdev has won the contract to operate the Östgötapendeln regional train line between Norrköping and Linköping, starting June 1, 2025.
Transdev operates the Roslagsbanan lines to the north of Stockholm. These are suburban lines operated under a long-term contract.
Snälltåget, a brand of long-distance trains, linking three European capitals by night: Stockholm, Copenhagen via Malmö, and Berlin.

New Zealand – The Capital Rail Experience

It was in 2016 that Transdev Wellington (TDW) began operating the passenger rail network on behalf of the Greater Wellington Regional Council (GWRC), under the Metlink brand.

Transdev operates five regional lines around the capital, on a network of 154 km of track with 49 stations. TDW provides over 2,000 weekly services, with 1.3 million journeys and 3.22 million km covered per year.

From the outset, Transdev had set up a control center to monitor service and track control in direct contact with the safety team. The contract includes maintenance, driving, traffic control (ROC) and customer service. Transdev’s contract has been renewed until 2031.

United States – Maintenance expertise

In Florida, Transdev is providing its expertise in rail infrastructure maintenance and signalling for the 129 km Tri-Rail line linking Miami to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, managed by the South Florida Regional Transportation Authority. This contract illustrates the Group’s technical capacity to maintain complex rail lines.

Discover our other modes of transportation

At Transdev, we have expertise in all modes of public transport, enabling us to devise sustainable, accessible mobility solutions tailored to each region. Thanks to our multimodal expertise, we design reliable, efficient, and innovative networks that are designed to meet the specific needs of users and support local ecological transitions.

Metro

Transdev develops and operates automated and conventional metro systems in several major cities around the world, often in complex technical contexts or closed environments such as airports.