As part of the project to extend the South Europe Atlantic line (Tours-Bordeaux), our major projects for the South West of France involve the two future new lines from Bordeaux to Spain and from Bordeaux to Toulouse lines, which will be connected by a single trunk section.
Major Projects for the South-West: Bordeaux - Spain and Bordeaux - Toulouse
Background
The importance of these two projects, which involve approximately 450 km of new track, and the necessary studies before they can be put to a Public Utility Enquiry, have meant a joint design so that a single trunk section will be laid, exiting Bordeaux from the south, in order to minimise environmental damage to the regions that the line passes through. A policy of continual studies has also been planned in order to reduce the usual delivery times.
The Bordeaux – Spain HSL
The project for the new Bordeaux to Spain line will involve creating, in addition to the existing line, a high speed line for passenger trains between Bordeaux and Dax via the east of the Landes region, and then a mixed-use line (freight and passenger traffic) from Dax down to the Spanish border, where it can be connected to the future Spanish high speed network.
The Paris-Bordeaux-Valladolid-Madrid railway line is seen as a major strategic route of the European network, linking the Iberian Peninsular to the rest of Europe along the Atlantic side.
The goals of this project are to:
Allow a certain volume of goods transport to migrate from the roads to the railways,
Significantly improve railway links for travellers between Bordeaux, south Aquitaine and Spain,
Encourage the development of Regional Express Trains in the Aquitaine region.
The Bordeaux – Toulouse HSL
This high speed project, which will join the existing line to the south of Bordeaux and to the north of Toulouse, has the added aspect of extending the radial network of high speed lines, oriented towards Paris, and being the first link of the Great South-West line which will join the Atlantic with the Mediterranean sea.
This new line should meet four goals:
Winning an increasing share of passenger journeys between Toulouse, Bordeaux and Paris, by improving the competitiveness of rail travel,
Promoting relations between Aquitaine and the Mediterranean and bringing together Bordeaux and Toulouse,
Spreading the benefits of high speed travel to regions between Bordeaux and Toulouse, by ensuring the line serves Agen and Montauban,
Freeing up capacity on the current line, so that it can be used more by freight traffic and TER.
The route
Bordeaux-Agen-Toulouse, and towards Dax via the east of Landes - the Spanish border.
Partners
On 26 December 2007, the State, the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees regions, Réseau Ferré de France and several local authorities signed a protocol to fund and carry out studies up until these major projects for the South West are put to a Public Utility Enquiry.
The cost of these studies has been set at 76 million euros, and is written into the 2007-2013 State/Region Strategic Plans for the Aquitaine and Midi-Pyrenees regions.
On 11 January 2008, the prefecture for the Aquitaine region, coordinating prefecture, set up a steering committee in charge of orienting, monitoring and approving the studies for these two projects.
Timescale
2011: Launch of the Public Utility Enquiry.
Key-figures
The Bordeaux-Spain line
250-260 km: length of the line
55 minutes: journey time between Bordeaux and Bayonne (45 minutes faster)
3 hours 30 minutes: journey time between Bordeaux and Madrid (1 hour 20 minutes faster)
345-350 passenger and freight trains per day (total for both lines): Expected volume of traffic to be leaving Bordeaux by 2020
7-8 million: the number of expected travellers south of Bordeaux by 2020
18-21 million tonnes: volume of freight traffic expected by 2020
3.75 billion Euros (figure from 2004): cost of investment, less the common trunk section shared at 50%.
250-260 km: length of the line
55 minutes: journey time between Bordeaux and Bayonne (45 minutes faster)
3 hours 30 minutes: journey time between Bordeaux and Madrid (1 hour 20 minutes faster)
345-350 passenger and freight trains per day (total for both lines): Expected volume of traffic to be leaving Bordeaux by 2020
7-8 million: the number of expected travellers south of Bordeaux by 2020
18-21 million tonnes: volume of freight traffic expected by 2020
3.75 billion Euros (figure from 2004): cost of investment, less the common trunk section shared at 50%.
Key-figures
The Bordeaux-Toulouse line
200 km: approximate length of the line
3 hours: journey time from Toulouse to Paris
2.9-3 million per year: estimated increase in passenger traffic along the major lines, based on estimated traffic of 7 million passengers upon the opening of the South European Atlantic High Speed Line (Tours-Bordeaux)
2.8 to 2.9 billion Euros: cost of investment.
200 km: approximate length of the line
3 hours: journey time from Toulouse to Paris
2.9-3 million per year: estimated increase in passenger traffic along the major lines, based on estimated traffic of 7 million passengers upon the opening of the South European Atlantic High Speed Line (Tours-Bordeaux)
2.8 to 2.9 billion Euros: cost of investment.
- map of the major Projects for the South-West (PDF - 2 Mb)
