TER Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur the coast (Marseille, Toulon and Nice) and a very rural hinterland (French Alps). Toulon doesn't have suburban services, as these are absorbed into Marseille. The suburban trains from Marseille also continue onto Avignon, 100 kilometers away. The rail network as of October 2017: Rail service not part of the TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur network: Trains are cancelled and delayed every day. The TER Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur has the worst punctuality record in all of France, with 40% of trains being delayed or cancelled each day. This could be due to high congestion of the tracks near Marseille and Nice. The
Alpes-de-Haute-Provence of Basses-Alpes was renamed Alpes-de-Haute-Provence. Here is an unflattering excerpt from an article called "Basse Alpes" from the Atlas Larousse published at the beginning of the 20th century: ""Scattered whitish rocks stand out like bones, a thin topsoil where bushes languish, some mountain flowers and stunted trees ... these mountains form almost everywhere a dreadful desert which will not have more inhabitants: this is the Sahara without the sun of Africa, with the snows of Siberia."" (P. Joanne). ""On these steep slopes deforestation and flooding have resulted in a lack of fertile soil and agriculture has been the most miserable.