The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region will invest EUR5.7 billion to create a coherent rail network and purchase rolling stock to increase the attractiveness of regional and metropolitan rail transport.

The region, located in the south-east of France and with Lyon as its main urban centre, has a large population of over 6 million inhabitants and is a major tourist destination, generating a very high volume of visitors and overnight stays each year.

The demographic size and high tourist appeal create constant pressure on mobility, making public transport an essential element for the daily functioning of the region.

The Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region coordinates and supports a wide range of transport services, from regional trains and cross-border connections to bus networks, on-demand transport, and services dedicated to schoolchildren, thus contributing to accessibility and territorial inclusion.

At the same time, regional authorities are constantly investing in the modernization of infrastructure and rolling stock, the digitization of services, and increased service frequency to encourage the use of public transport and meet sustainable mobility objectives.

The region’s TER (Transport Express Régional) network, operated by SNCF, comprises 76 lines covering 3,187 km and serving 335 stations, providing rail links between Lyon and Valence via Grenoble, Clermont-Ferrand, Saint-Étienne, and Chambéry. It is one of the most extensive regional networks in France and carries hundreds of thousands of passengers every day.

In December 2023, the region adopted the “Mobilité 2035” strategy, under which rail transport will benefit from investments of EUR 5.7 billion. Of this amount, EUR 3 billion is allocated to rolling stock, for the modernization and purchase of new trains, and EUR 2.7 billion is earmarked for public transport infrastructure, including €2.2 billion for rail access charges. This amount significantly exceeds previous funding: EUR 132 million for the period 2016–2023 and EUR 259 million between 2024 and 2035.

The strategy opens up opportunities for new economic models: the region can organize direct tenders, operators can manage the procurement and maintenance of rolling stock on each lot, or trains can be leased.

The planned investments will increase transport capacity by approximately 60,000 additional seats, in addition to the existing 161,000, both seated and standing. The objective of the strategy is to expand TER services by 30%, bringing the number of passengers to 300,000 per day. Currently, 1,500 TER trains carry 220,000 passengers daily.

The region is investing in the purchase of rolling stock to support efforts to create a coherent rail network, operated by modern trains to attract more and more passengers. Under the new strategy, €1.6 billion will be allocated by 2035 for the purchase of rolling stock. To this end, a EUR 125 million contract was signed with Alstom in April 2025 for the purchase of 10 Omneo Regio2N trains, which will complement the existing fleet of 59 identical multiple units.

All new trains ordered will be delivered by October 2027. The order was placed by SNCF Voyageurs on behalf of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and is part of a framework agreement signed with SNCF in 2010 for the delivery of 860 Omneo trains for French regions.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) recently published its assessment of the train purchase project submitted by the Region, which involves 10 electric trains and 3 Regiolis Hydrogène (electric/hydrogen) dual-mode multiple units, as well as the modernization of 169 existing trains. The eligible cost is over EUR 1 billion, of which the EIB could allocate EUR 500 million.

The strategy will allocate EUR 3 billion for the purchase of 130 multiple units, EUR 250 million for the development of train maintenance facilities, and EUR 1.3 billion for the maintenance of the entire rolling stock fleet to increase its lifespan and provide passengers with modern facilities.

The region has allocated EUR52.3 million in funding for the construction of a new maintenance workshop in Clermont-Ferrand.

As part of the Multiannual Investment Program (MIP) in the field of mobility, in line with the “Plan for Positive Everyday Mobility – Objective 2035,” the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region has allocated EUR52.3 million in funding for the construction of a new railway maintenance workshop in Clermont-Ferrand (on the existing site of the Brézet workshop), which it is financing in full.

As part of the policy of opening up the market for passenger rail transport, the regions of France, as transport authorities for TER services, have gradually begun to organize tenders for operators. Since December 2019, all regions have been authorized to launch competitive procedures, and between March 2022 and December 2023, the 11 regions of France have signed negotiated contracts with the national operator SNCF Voyageurs, valid for ten years, for the operation of regional lines. It should be noted that, under a previous contract, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region was responsible for these services between 2017 and 2022, and in December 2023, SNCF Voyageurs won the contract for the period 2024–2033.

The strategy includes the development of six RER (Regional Express Network) lines, called Metropolitan Regional Express Services (SERM), to provide quality services to the region’s residents. The regional network has been divided into five geographically coherent operational areas: Auvergne, Chambéry and Grenoble, Savoie and the cross-border area, Lyon and long-distance regional connections, known as “lots”.

These lots will be operated by different operators between 2029 and 2034, with the regional authorities aiming to ensure that all territories benefit from a high-quality, uniform rail service. In the coming years, the lots will be defined in more detail through specifications, which will include operation and maintenance, station and infrastructure management, rolling stock management, and sector-specific social agreements.

To ensure a uniform TER service, a “functional” lot will manage passenger relations (information, sales, and after-sales services), and will be available to all operators of the five lots.

In addition, the Region will initiate the procedure for the “transfer of assets” from SNCF, as provided for by law, in order to guarantee equal treatment for all candidates, whether they are the incumbent operator or new entrants to the market.

In the Lyon area, the authorities will create SERM by reorganizing public transport to offer local trains every 15 minutes and will implement infrastructure projects to enable suburban trains to run every 30 minutes. This is a preliminary stage of the future SERM network, for which EUR 2.45 million will be invested.

The region also includes the Léman Express network, officially inaugurated in December 2019, the largest cross-border rail network in Europe, connecting Switzerland and France. The network comprises cross-border regional trains connecting the Geneva metropolitan area (Switzerland) with neighboring regions in France, including the departments of Haute-Savoie and Ain in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.

Haute-Savoie is located on the border with Switzerland and Italy, with major cities such as Annecy and Thonon-les-Bains, while Ain is located to the northeast, between Lyon and the Swiss border, with cities such as Bourg-en-Bresse.

The network totals 230 km of lines and 45 stations, served daily by 240 trains and carrying approximately 61,000 passengers per day, with a high level of use in the cross-border area.