The Roissy-Picardy link

 

The Roissy-Picardy railway link project involves, firstly, the creation in Val-d’Oise (to the north of Roissy) of a new line linking the interconnecting high-speed railway line to the Amiens-Creil-Paris standard line and, secondly, carrying out adaptations to increase capacity between Creil and the new line and in the Charles-de-Gaulle Airport 2 TGV, Creil and Amiens stations.
This town and country planning project primarily draws on the existing network and is fully in line with the objectives of the Environment Round Table.
 
 

Connect a large part of Picardy to the high-speed network, thus facilitating connections with the rest of France, which is a factor in the growth of long-distance rail transport.
Increase the capacity of the high-speed network thanks to the connections created.
Improve daily journeys to Roissy, develop air-freight intermodality on the multimodal transport hub and enhance its attractiveness.

To achieve this, the project plans to use high-speed trains to establish connections between Amiens, Creil, Roissy and beyond, to the main regional capitals, as well as introducing regional train services between Creil and the Charles de Gaulle Airport-TGV station (CDG-TGV), including stops at stations on the route, in Oise et le Val-d’Oise.
In addition, capacity amendments need to be made on the section between Creil and the new line, and the CDG-TGV, Creil and Amiens stations.

 

The total investment (new line and amendments to the existing network) is put at between €255 million and €375 million*, depending on the construction choices made for the new line.
* based on economic conditions in 2008

 

The new Roissy-Picardy line is expected to open by 2020.
 
 

The service scenarios

Two service scenarios were proposed for debate:

A high-speed train scenario
Frequency: seven return services per day between Amiens, Creil, the CDG TGV airport station and on to the main regional metropolitan areas (Lyon, Marseille, Bordeaux, etc.).

A high-speed train + regional express train scenario
In addition to the seven high-speed train return services per day, two regional trains per hour during peak times and one train per hour during off-peak times, with services to Chantilly. Possibility of one or several stops in the Greater Paris region (Survilliers-Fosses, Louvres) depending on the route option chosen for the new line; traditional line can accommodate speeds of 160 km/h.

The route options

In terms of construction, three route options for the new line have been studied to the north-east of Val-d’Oise in the Survilliers-Louvres-Vémars sector:

The north option: around 11 km of route to be constructed; significant issues in terms of landscape, natural habitats and urban residences. Creil-Roissy in around 18 minutes. No stop possible in the Greater Paris region.
Estimated cost: €275 million (as per economic conditions in 2008).

The central option: around 6 km of route to be constructed, with moderate issues in terms of landscape and natural habitats. Creil-Roissy in around 20 minutes. A possible stop in the Greater Paris region for regional trains at Survilliers-Fosses. Estimated cost: €155 million (as per economic conditions in 2008).

The south option: around 7 km of line to be constructed, with significant local issues (land contours and urbanisation), numerous structures to be built. Creil-Roissy in around 27 minutes. Two possible stops in the Greater Paris region for regional trains at Survilliers-Fosses and Louvres. Estimated cost: €240 million*. Amendments to the existing network and at stations are valued at between €70 million and €100 million depending on the service scenarios (as per economic conditions in 2008).

The public debate figures

The public debate was held between 15 April and 31 July 2010.
2,300 people attended 11 public meetings.
809 verdicts, 367 questions and 53 statements from stakeholders.
200 press articles

The debate questions

The National Public Debate Commission wanted to submit four main questions to the debate:

1/ Should this link be built and why?
2/ High-speed links only or high-speed links and regional links?
3/ If the link is constructed, where should it pass through and what environmental precautions should be taken?
4/ What effects are there on other existing or planned links?

The assessment of the National Public Debate Commission and the report by the Individual Public Debate Commission

In its debate report of 23 September 2010, the Individual Public Debate Commission mentioned that "as highlighted in the debate, its cost […] makes the Roissy-Picardy link an achievable objective. The conclusions of the public debate are clear: public demand is very strong in Picardy, both for high-speed services and regional services. In addition, services to Roissy using sustainable transport, from both the north (Picardy) and the south (Val-d’Oise), emerged as increasingly popular. However, the project remains controversial in the east of Val-d’Oise, despite the very recent progress in the Barreau de Gonesse project, which should ease residents’ concerns. […]"

RFF’s decision following the public debate

Drawing on the assessment of the public debate, the Board of Directors of Réseau Ferré de France, chaired by Hubert du Mesnil, decided on 25 November 2010 to continue the studies and consultation process relating to the Roissy-Picardy railway link project, with the aim of preparing the public usefulness enquiry dossier by 2014.

The main decisions made are as follows:

High-speed train + regional express train scenario chosen

For the new line:


-   The north option has been abandoned.


-   A reference route is to be selected from the central and south options.


-   A proposal has been made to identify a real estate policy that is coordinated with the Barreau de Gonesse project.

For the existing network:
Amendments to the CDG-TGV, Creil and Amiens stations.
Amendments to the Paris-Creil standard line.

Request to appoint a guarantor for the consultation process at the National Public Debate Commission
The role of the guarantor of the consultation process will be to ensure the application of procedural aspects to provide information to and secure the involvement of the public throughout the study and consultation phase prior to the public usefulness enquiry.
The guarantor may be contacted regarding any question or request relating to the conduct of the consultation process and the general public’s involvement. Following each stage of the project, it is standard practice for the guarantor to compile a report of the consultation process, which is made public.