Nice Transport Transformed: a Peek into the Future

Since the demolition of the Nice Bus Station last year, Nice has been in a sort of chaotic limbo waiting for the promised new transportation hub that will put the train, tram, bus station all in one place and within easy reach of the airport

Today the proposed plans were unveiled: …It’s going to take a few years, but Nice will ultimately have an ultra-modern transport hub that will transform the city. Located across from the airport, the new hub will combine a new train station, TGV station, and bus station; all accessible with the new tram line 2. And the cherry on the gateau: a new giant adjacent Convention Center (where the MIN sits currently), where the easy access will attract a flurry of international conferences to Nice and create a new business district and thousands of new jobs.

Here’s the timeline:

2013 Work starts
2016 New bus station finished
2016 New convention center finished
2017 Tram line 2 finished
2017 New train stations finished
2018 Nice-Italy high-speed TGV line finished (Nice-Genoa in 1 hour!)
2019 New Terminal 3 opens at airport for low-cost airlines
2020 All public works for the new business district finished

In addition, the decrepit Gare Thiers train station is due for a major renovation by 2015, demolishing the entire block to connect the tram with the trains, and adding skybridges, elevators and escalators. Click here and scroll down for a quick video of the future train station, it’s quite extraordinary!

And when will the Paris-Nice high-speed TGV tracks be finished, with the promised 3h20 train to Paris instead of the current 5h30? Looks like… never: the project is once again mired down in the merde. Sigh.

3/22 UPDATE: Here is a photo of the Port terminus of the Tram line 2