TER Poitou-Charentes


TER Poitou-Charentes was the regional rail network serving the Poitou-Charentes région in France. In 2017 it was merged into the new TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine.

Network

Rail

Road

Multiple units

Niort – Fontenay-le-Comte line

25% of this line, closed to passenger traffic since 1969, is located in Poitou-Charentes, with the remainder located in Pays de la Loire.
The reopening of the line was included in the Contract for Regional and State Projects for 2006-2007 and preliminary studies are completed. Work was scheduled to begin once the interregional budget was in place but as of October 2014, the line has not been reopened and TER's operations between Niort and Fontenay-le-Comte are restricted to bus travel.

Thouars – Parthenay – Niort line

This line has been closed to passenger traffic since 1980 but it is still used to transport empty TER trains every Wednesday. The trains are from the Bressuire – Thouars – Saumur line and they are sent to Saintes for maintenance. These trains are allowed to travel at speeds between 70–80 km/h, although higher speeds would be possible on certain sections of the line.

Expansion of the La Rochelle-Rochefort line

With 11 trains a day added between in 2007 and 2008, the expansion of this line is meant to help curb the growing road traffic between the cities of La Rochelle and Rochefort.
Five additional stops have been opened: