the new Montpellier-Perpignan line

In the south, the Spanish section of the line between Barcelona and Figueras is currently under construction, as is the international section between Figueras and Perpignan, scheduled for opening in 2009. In the north, Réseau Ferré de France is launching its project to build a Nimes and Montpellier bypass.

However, between these two points there is a “missing link” - the Montpellier-Perpignan section. This link is all the more important since the current Montpellier-Perpignan line, even though it is undergoing a modernisation programme aimed at increasing capacity and reliability, is likely to reach saturation point by 2020. The launch of studies into this proposed new line and the holding of a public debate in spring 2009 are therefore anticipatory measures aimed at preventing this saturation from occurring.
 

The proposed new line between Montpellier and Perpignan should respond to a certain number of demands coming from a fast-growing transport sector:

Increasingly pressing problems of capacity, which is as important an issue now as that of speed,
Ongoing construction of the Great South branch (Bordeaux-Toulouse high speed line) and of the Mediterranean railway arc (Provence-Alps-Côte d’Azur high speed line),
Desire to expand railway freight as an alternative to road transport (Ecofret discussion),
Actions to expand TER regional express trains in an area with high population density along the coast and with highly concentrated traffic.
 

The average cost of the various proposals is around €4 billion.
 

French State (25%)
Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon (25%)
Réseau Ferré de France and the SNCF (25%)
General Councils of Gard, Hérault, Aude and Pyrénées Orientales, the cities of Nîmes, Montpellier, Sète, Béziers, Narbonne, Perpignan and Carcassonne Hérault Méditerranée (25%).
 

The Public Debate is scheduled for 2009 (spring/summer). It is due to be opened in 2020.