Revalued at 3.44 billion euros, the future line C of the metro in Toulouse worries about its financing
The press had an appointment near the Ernest-Wallon stadium in Toulouse on Thursday, December 15, for the start of the first civil engineering work on line C. The new name of the future third metro line. For the symbol, the mayor of Toulouse and president of the Metropolis, Jean-Luc Moudenc, pressed a button which triggered the large drill present on the site. With the hope of finding oil there? “This will allow us to pay part of the additional costs“, he answers with irony.
If the situation seems to be under control on the front, times are tough for the Toulouse municipal transport authority, Tisséo, and Toulouse Métropole. Main financial supporters of this future third metro line, they have just seen the bill for this project soar. Initially estimated at 2.3 billion euros, then 2.7 billion, before the 2.9 billion and yet another calculation, this infrastructure should ultimately cost 3.44 billion euros.
Local elected officials had an appointment this Thursday, December 15 for the launch of the civil engineering works (Credits: Rémi Benoit).
The day before, Wednesday December 14, Tisséo met in union council and then allocated the lots for the civil engineering sites. Although the promoters of the project expected significant additional costs, it is only at the end of the consultation of the companies and the signing of the contracts that a final amount can be removed. In total, in a few tens of minutes, Tisséo distributed approximately 1.1 billion euros in public procurement and it is this segment that has experienced a sharp increase.
“It’s an extraordinary project which is financed over 50 years, and not three years like a college or a high school. But we find this same ration of inflation of 20% as it currently exists on these school infrastructures. is the problem of materials, the problem of inflation, the problem of energy… All cumulated…”, comments Jean-Michel Lattes, the vice-president of Toulouse Métropole in charge of public transport and president by Tisseo.
A financing plan presented in January
In the end, this amounts to approximately an additional cost of 500 million euros to be met (compared to the 300 million initially imagined) and for which financing solutions must be found. On paper, several solutions are on the table to complete the financing of this project announced in December 2013 by Jean-Luc Moudenc, then campaigning to conquer the Capitol.
The protocol took place not far from the future Sept Deniers station (Credits: Rémi Benoit).
First of all, the mayor of Toulouse appealed to the State, with other counterparts, to obtain exceptional aid of several billion euros for these public transport projects. A request that has not yet received a satisfactory response to date. In addition, Europe could bring a few million to the project in 2023, but not enough to reverse the trend significantly (around 10 million euros). Toulouse Métropole could also decide to pass on these additional costs to local taxation. “There is no link between local taxes and the site. Tax rates have not changed this year for example“, defends Jean-Michel Lattes. The price of tickets on the Tisséo network could also be a lever, beyond loans and other existing banking solutions.
“Sacha Briand (the vice-president of Toulouse Métropole in charge of finance, editor’s note) is in the process of planning solutions. The challenge is to find spreading devices for example and / or reinforcement on the part of Toulouse Métropole in particular in financing, etc”, comments Jean-Michel Lattes.
Tisséo and Toulouse Métropole are meeting in January for the presentation of the… 5th version of the financing plan for the third metro line in Toulouse. Jean-Luc Moudenc’s wishes to the press, established on January 5, could be a first window of opportunity.
The opposition calls for the establishment of an RER
Since the announcement of these additional costs, the opposition has continued to attack Jean-Luc Moudenc on his “all-subway stubbornness” in front of a bill that continues to stretch, especially in the ranks of the municipal opposition. On the occasion of the ceremony preventing the launch of this first project of the future metro line and the many associated speeches, some didn’t hesitate to put a coin back in the machine.”The control of the financing plan remains posed… However, the third metro line is necessary but will not be sufficient“, declared in particular before an assembly of 300 people Martine Croquette, the vice-president of the departmental council of Haute-Garonne in charge of mobility.
Line C is the new name for the third metro line in Toulouse (Credits: Rémi Benoit).
The community, held by the socialists against a right-wing mayor of Toulouse, has partially financed this future metro for nearly 200 million euros and also calls for the launch of a metropolitan RER. “In addition to this future metro, we will have to develop the railway star”, insisted Thierry Cotelle, regional councilor for the Occitanie region, also in the hands of the socialists. For these communities, and the political opposition to Jean-Luc Moudenc, the context for the emergence of an RER in Toulouse is rather favorable, especially after Emmanuel Macron’s media release on the subject. Some opposition politicians even ask the mayor of Toulouse to stop the construction site and direct funding to the RER, which they believe is more useful.
For its part, the majority installed in the Capitol doubts the interest of an RER and reservations about its real cost, although the third metro line has been designed to be connected to five metropolitan stations.
“Do all the major construction sites in France stop when they smoke a 20% increase? I do not believe“, answers Jean-Michel Lattes. “We are facing a terrible situation, but we are moving forward, we believe in the future and we have confidence. It would be irresponsible to postpone this investment or phase it, as I often hear. We will find solutions to generate revenue and savings and absorb this additional cost“, concluded Jean-Luc Moudenc.
What schedule?
After the ground preparation work, such as the archaeological studies and the diversion of the various networks, the day of December 15 was marked by the start of the major civil engineering works. For a year, the “holes” of the future stations will appear all along the determined route. The tunnel boring machines will then come into action from the end of 2023, with an average progress of 250 meters per month. The second work will take place from 2026 and from the end of 2027, line C of the Toulouse metro will be ready for a six-month dry run. If everything goes as planned, Jean-Michel Lattes is betting on an entry into service “end of 2028“.