The 23km line opened in August 2010 and operates under a 30-year concession awarded in 2007 to the Rhônexpress consortium of Vinci (28.2%), Vossloh Infrastructure Service (4.2%), Cegelec Centre Est (2.8%) and Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations.

The aim of the renegotiation is to improve services on light rail Line T3, which shares infrastructure with Rhônexpress, reduce fares, and enable the operation of alternative public transport services to the airport.

Under the current contract, Sytral cannot introduce additional services on Line T3 if it results in a reduced frequency on the tram-train line. However, with rapidly increasing demand on Line T3, Sytral is looking at how it can find the capacity to step up tram services to the east of the city.

The city is keen to end the tram-train’s monopoly on transit to the airport and offer a slower public transport option with lower fares.

The current €27.80 return fare for a Rhônexpress trip between the airport and the city centre is deemed “excessive” by the metropolitan council and Sytral, which are looking to achieve reductions through renegotiation of the concession agreement.