Upgrading rail service in the southern French Alps
As part of this project, we will modernize the Aix-en-Provence – Briançon line ahead of the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games French Alps 2030. This includes adding two daily return trips between Marseille and Briançon, and reducing travel time to 3 hours and 40 minutes.
Understanding the Performance ferroviaire des Alpes du Sud project
Initially scheduled to span more than a decade, upgrades to the line between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille will now be completed by the end of 2029, in time for the Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games 2030 in the French Alps.
Known in French as Performance ferroviaire des Alpes du Sud, this project is managed by SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions. It covers 280km of railway lines across 4 French departments (Bouches-du-Rhône, Vaucluse, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, and Hautes-Alpes).
What will change?
Works carried out between mid-2027 and end-2029 will:
- cut average travel time between Marseille and Briançon from 4 hours and 40 minutes to 3 hours and 40 minutes
- add 2 daily return services between the two cities
- remove speed restrictions on this predominantly single-track line
- improve accessibility, comfort and intermodality at stations along the route, including Meyrargues, Gap, Embrun, Mont-Dauphin-Guillestre, and L’Argentière Les Écrins
- transform Briançon station into a multimodal hub.
280 km
of railway to be upgraded between Aix-en-Provence and Briançon across 4 French departments
3h40m
Travel time between Marseille and Briançon will be reduced from 4h 40m to
€367m
in upgrades financed by the French State, local authorities, SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions
Why are these engineering works necessary?
The line between Aix-en-Provence and Briançon is largely non-electrified single track and features numerous engineering structures, earthworks and tunnels, as well as the steep gradients typical of mountain railways. The corridor and its 17 stations are essential to connect isolated communities in the southern French Alps. Modernization will ensure the line’s long-term viability, remove speed restrictions caused by aging infrastructure, and significantly reduce travel times.
How will it be financed?
Engineering works will cost an estimated €367 million. Funds will be provided by the French State, the Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region, SOLIDEO (the French public agency responsible for delivering Olympic facilities), the Marseille-Aix-Provence metropolitan area, the Hautes-Alpes department, SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions, and allocated as follows:
- €328m to upgrade the Aix-en-Provence – Briançon line
- €14.5m to modernize stations along the route
- €20.5m to transform Briançon station into a multimodal hub
- €4.5m to adapt Meyrargues station
Pre-project consultation
As environmental assessments are finalized, project managers SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions will host a pre-project consultation from Monday 13 April to Friday 29 May 2026.
Project Timeline—key dates
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