Following persistent dysfunctions, the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Region and the SNCF have strengthened their commitment to improve the quality of transport services in the Maurienne valley.
On September 27, 2024, under the leadership of Émilie Bonnivard, MP and regional councilor, a meeting brought together the prefecture, local elected officials, the SNCF and the association of line 53 users. The objective: to find solutions to restore the punctuality and reliability of services, which have deteriorated significantly since the summer.
The Maurienne valley, in full transformation with the work of the Lyon-Turin tunnel and the regeneration of the railway line, has seen its traffic disrupted. Although punctuality reached 92% in the first half of 2024, the months of July to September were marked by numerous delays and train cancellations. The work carried out by the SNCF, in particular the closure of the line between Saint-Michel and Modane, has led to slowdowns and insufficient communication with users.
Several decisions were taken to meet the needs of users:
• The addition of additional buses on Tuesday and Friday evenings between Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and Modane.
• The obligation for coaches to wait for trains in the event of a delay of less than 20 minutes.
• The application of penalties to carriers in the event of identified malfunctions.
• Better information for station staff to guarantee an efficient connection between train and coach.
At the same time, several subjects such as taking bicycles on trains and the reintroduction of a direct train between Maurienne and Lyon, particularly for students on weekends, are currently being studied.
In addition, commercial compensation was requested for subscribers in Haute-Maurienne, impacted by these numerous inconveniences.
Daily monitoring of the regularity of services is now in place, and a new update will be carried out in the coming weeks to assess the improvement of mobility services in the valley.
