Business leaders propose metro to ease congestion in Monaco

Faced with overcrowded transport networks and growing commuting difficulties in the Principality, the FEDEM has unveiled a major infrastructure project.

The Federation of Monegasque Enterprises (FEDEM) held a press conference to highlight the transport challenges in Monaco. With renewed attention on the issues in recent days due to traffic disruptions at the entrances to Monaco and Cap d’Ail, questions have been raised about the daily journeys of tens of thousands of workers.

Philippe Ortelli, FEDEM president, painted a stark picture: “In 10 years, the Principality has welcomed more than 15,000 additional workers, while transport and housing infrastructure have remained unchanged.” The figures are telling: over 17,000 people live in Nice and commute daily to Monaco, the highest concentration of Monegasque employees outside the Principality. IMSEE recorded an additional 5,000 Nice-based workers since 2017.

Skyrocketing property prices worsen situation

For Monegasque business leaders looking to attract talent, where employees live is a critical factor. “Today, the smallest apartment in Beausoleil costs a minimum of €6,000 per square metre — six times higher than 25 years ago — pushing workers to settle ever farther from their workplace,” explained Philippe Ortelli, illustrating the surge in property costs in neighbouring towns.

From an economic standpoint, the phenomenon follows a simple logic: “When demand exceeds supply, prices rise. This forces employees into longer and increasingly difficult commutes,” the FEDEM President added.

A Nice–Monaco–Ventimiglia metro

To meet these challenges, the FEDEM is proposing an electric, driverless metro line connecting Nice airport to Ventimiglia via Monaco. Initially proposed in 2020 during the health crisis, this large-scale project is now estimated at €4 billion and would drastically reduce travel times: “Reaching Monaco-Fontvieille from Nice-Est would take 12 minutes instead of at least an hour and 15 minutes by car today. Nice airport would be 23 minutes away at a metro speed of 60 km/h — not ultra-fast,” said Philippe Ortelli.

The planned route includes several strategic stops: Nice airport, Allianz Riviera, Nice Nord (connecting with the tram), Pasteur district, Brasca, then Monaco with multiple stations (Fontvieille, near the port, near the tourist office and past Place des Moulins) before continuing to Carnolès and Ventimiglia. Preliminary studies have been carried out with a team of experts and specialised geologists. The project envisions tunnels more than 50 metres deep to avoid taking land, reducing administrative delays. The FEDEM emphasised the project’s cross-border nature, requiring cooperation between France, Italy and Monaco.

A complementary solution

The urgency of the project is backed up by demographic projections: “For the stability of our current economic model, everything depends on a strong working population, aiming for 100,000 employees by 2060. The situation is already challenging, so we must act quickly,” said Fabien Deplanche, president of the Chambre Patronale du Bâtiment, the employers’ association for the building industry.

Philippe Ortelli also highlighted ecological benefits from reduced traffic congestion: “Traffic jams lead to an extra litre of fuel per vehicle per day, amounting to tens of thousands of tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually.”

A complementary solution

FEDEM vice-president Henri Leizé added that the metro would “relieve other currently saturated transport systems and offer a lasting solution for companies where remote work is not feasible.” The building, hospitality and catering sectors — key industries in Monaco — represent businesses where teleworking is particularly difficult.

FEDEM now calls for “real political courage” to advance the project with French and Italian authorities. Philippe Ortelli draws a parallel with past major achievements: “Remarkable projects have been realised in Monaco in record time. Supporting a metro project today could be comparable to the arrival of the railway in Monaco in the early 1870s.”

The timeline remains ambitious: 5 to 10 years of works are estimated, provided the necessary political agreements are secured quickly.