A lot of ink flowed in these 82 short kilometers. Because reopening a railway line in France is not easy. In 1973, passenger services ceased on the Avignon and Pont-Saint-Espres line, where it was no longer possible to travel by train. However, the line was still in operation, but only for freight or, on rare occasions, to serve as a bypass for passenger trains when damaged on the left bank of the Rhone. In 2016, the Occitania region began a project to reopen it to the public. It was about the revitalization of this population basin of 600,000 inhabitants, which had until now been very poorly served.
That section stretched from Nîmes to Pont-Saint-Esprit, through Avignon, to Bagnols-sur-Seze. The region took over all the funding for this revival. The inauguration was announced in 2021. Unfortunately, this happened without taking into account the aggravated pointillism of the SNCF network and especially the Railway Safety Establishment, which after several years of study required… new studies. What caused the anger of the president of Occitania region, Carol Delga, who immediately alerted the prime minister. Jean Castex, very sensitive about territory but anxious not to offend either party, preferred a compromise. This week saw the opening of the first section, serving Avignon, Banols-sur-Sez and Pont-Saint-Esprit 5 times a day, and pushing passengers once a day to Nîmes.
It is expected that 200 thousand passengers will use this line every year
A continuation is planned for 2026, with the opening of Villeneuve-les-Avignon, Rocomort/Tavel, Laudun/L’Ardois stations to the north, and Aramont, Remoulin/Pont-du-Gard and South stations to the south. Pearls. At these stations, work is currently being carried out to bring them into line, in particular, the repair of platforms that have partially disappeared. According to forecasts, more than 200 thousand passengers should use this line every year. And to attract them, all tickets are 1 euro until the end of September. The region has other projects, such as the re-opening of “lifeline lines”, i.e. Mongereau-Luchon, where hydrogen trains will operate, and Ales-Bésages. The Rodez-Sévérac, Carcassonne-Quillan lines and the improvement of the famous yellow train, a symbol of the Catalan country, will follow.
Source: Le Figaro
