But faced with the necessary investment of several billion euros for a single metropolis, Carole Delga intends to confront the State, which has promised 700 million euros for all, with the height of the stakes.
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The PS president of the Occitanie region Carole Delga puts the candidacy of the Toulouse metropolis on track on Wednesday January 24, with the ex-LR mayor of Toulouse Jean-Luc Moudenc and the president of the socialist department Sébastien Vincini. The elected officials of Occitanie want Toulouse to be one of the ten metropolises with a “Metropolitan RER” by 2040, with trains every 10-15 minutes. Even if in fact RER, it is a global transport offer with TER, metros, coaches, and even bicycles.
Carole Delga, who also chairs the Association of Regions of France, highlights the “social issues, facing the cost of fuel, and climate issues” linked to “autosolism” – being alone in a car. To support its candidacy, Occitanie commissioned an IFOP survey which we were able to consult. 72% of residents of the Toulouse region use their car on a daily basis. The main problems that push them to prefer the car to public transport are: inconsistent timetables, poor access and irregularity of service. But 42% of them say they are ready to leave the car in the garage if the public transport offer is more satisfactory. Proof that there is a “real expectation” depending on the region, in terms of metropolitan RER.
State aid announced as very insufficient
Arguments that Carole Delga will use to influence the State. It was Emmanuel Macron who launched the idea of these metropolitan RERs in 2022 and guaranteed an envelope of 700 million euros to start financing the projects. A significant investment from the State but much more will be needed in the long term. The RER project alone for the Toulouse metropolis is estimated at 3.5 billion euros in terms of infrastructure, to which must be added almost 500 million for the trains themselves. Without forgetting 113 million euros per year in operating costs. Suffice to say that the 700 million from the State distributed between around ten metropolises will quickly be absorbed, which will leave local authorities with colossal sums to pay. “We play the game of the President’s announcements but how do we finance it?” asks someone close to Carole Delga. Occitanie requests state support “at the height”, even if public finances are in the red.
