LGV Bordeaux-Toulouse: the Region wants to accelerate the realization of the project
Delivery in 2030 or 2032? The President of the Region Carole Delga asked the SNCF to review the construction schedule for the high-speed line. The chosen one wants to “get closer” to 2030.
The Bordeaux-Toulouse LGV project is finally moving forward. But a question torments rail users: when will the first works and especially the delivery of the high-speed line which will save an hour between Paris and Toulouse? At the beginning of the summer, a commissioning in 2032 “great maximum” was announced. Not satisfactory for Carole Delga, the president of the Occitanie Region, one of the main financiers of the project with New Aquitaine. “I asked that the deadlines be reviewed and that we get as close as possible to 2030” indicates Carole Delga who is witnessing a new phasing on the part of SNCF Réseau. As for the start of this gigantic construction site, “we want the first diggers to hit in less than three years” continues the elected official.
In charge of mobility, the vice-president of the Region Jean-Luc Gibelin recalls the wish of former Prime Minister Jean Castex, whose commitment was decisive in this file: “He speaks of a start of work at the start of 2024”. .
The Region also defended the start of the construction site on the Toulouse side to accelerate the construction of the future RER in the north of the metropolis.
The challenge of the metropolitan RER
“We cannot sum up the LGV to the single question of saving time, pleads Jean-Luc Gibelin. It is impossible to stay on the current infrastructure which has reached saturation point. The future line will free up slots to add daily trains and develop freight”.
The Toulouse-Montauban link is already saturated and “this will also be the case as far as Agen within two years” recalls Carole Delga. “The Toulouse RER will only be possible with a second line” insists the President of the Region.
On financing, the round table was recorded in July. The development of this new 222 kilometer high-speed line between the two regional capitals is valued at 10.3 billion euros as part of the GPSO (Grand Sud-Ouest project). A special equipment tax (about 4 euros) will be activated in 2023 for all households located less than an hour from a TGV station. A tax on offices is also collected but no decision has been taken yet.
The “small” lines will not be forgotten
The LGV is not the only project of the Region in terms of railway infrastructure. After the reopening of the Nîmes-Pont-Saint-Esprit line (right bank of the Rhône), the Region wants to speed up on the fine service lines of the territory. Montréjeau-Luchon (Haute-Garonne) is the next scheduled reopening “at the start of 2024” confirms Jean-Luc Gibelin, vice-president in charge of mobility in the Region. This line will be the first in France to operate with hydrogen trains manufactured by Alstom. Also planned are Albi-Bessèges (Gard) in 2025, the reopening of six stations on the right bank of the Rhône line, Auch-Agen for freight and “at the start of the next mandate” Rodez-Séverac-le-Château (Aveyron) and Limoux-Quillan (Aude).