LGV Atlantique

The LGV Atlantique, short for Ligne à grande vitesse Atlantique is a high-speed line in France. This route is served by TGV trains and connecting Paris with one hand of Brittany and the Pays de la Loire in the west, on the other hand with Aquitaine in south-west of the country. The track has the shape of a lying Y.

As part of the TGV world record runs on December 5, 1989 and 18 May 1990 New world speed records were set for rail vehicles on the track, which had until April 2007 inventory ( V150 ).

The maximum operating speed on for 320 km / h trassierten route is 300 km / h

• 3.1 Planning
• 3.2 construction
• 3.3 Commissioning
• 3.4 world record on May 18, 1990

Route

The LGV Atlantique is 279 km long; of which 124 km on the original route, 53 km along the western branch line and 102 km to the south-west branch line. There are traversed seven departments, namely Hauts -de -Seine, Essonne, Yvelines, Eure- et- Loir, Sarthe, Loir -et -Cher and Indre -et -Loire.

The maximum Streckengradiente is 16 ‰.

Trunk route

South of the Paris Montparnasse train station, in the suburb of Vanves, the main route begins. It makes use of the " Coulee Verte " to pass through the densely built suburban belt. It is a corridor that was originally intended for the never -built extension of the A10 motorway. The route here underground for the most part, put about one cycle paths and green plants.

In Massy an old route threaded into the LGV Atlantique. This establishes a connection to the LGV Est Interconnexion and thus to all other French high-speed lines. After the Massy TGV train station, the route crosses the 4.8 km Villejust tunnel; only after the tunnel exit, the top speed of 300 km / h can be ridden. Here are two additional Ausfädelungen at Voves and Bonneval. In Courtalain the original route branches.

Southwest Zweigstrecke

After Courtalain the route runs initially southward. Shortly after the Vendôme -Villiers -sur -Loir -TGV train station is located at km 166.8 that place where the world record for rail vehicles was set up on May 18, 1990; then drove the TGV Atlantique train 325 series with 515.3 km / h After crossing the A10 motorway, the route runs again southwest.

After the tunnel of Vouvray ( 1496 m) follow in quick succession three viaducts, with which the valley of the Loire is crossed. After the junction of Saint- Pierre -des-Corps, which is traveled by train to Tours, followed by another viaduct over the River Cher. North of the village Monts ends the southwestern branch line.

It should be extended to 2016 for Bordeaux, and later to Irun in Spain. This project is called LGV Sud Europe Atlantique. The 303 km long route Tours- Bordeaux built by the construction company Vinci in an operator model. Half of the planned construction cost of 7.2 billion euros give central government and local authorities as a grant, the rest brings Vinci on. The costs, however, are higher, is currently calculated at 7.8 billion euros. For this purpose, the Group may collect user fees for 35 years. Passenger traffic between Paris and Bordeaux could rise by the new line around three million to 19 million to 20 million travelers per year.

Western Zweigstrecke

The western branch line runs from Courtalain to Connerré, about 25 km east of Le Mans. It runs in a completely flat terrain and comes without major engineering structures built. The track will be further extended in 2010 towards Rennes; the project is called LGV Bretagne- Pays de la Loire. The tender for this ends in July 2010, the costs are estimated at 3.4 billion euros.

Stations

Are located on the LGV Atlantique two railway stations:

• Massy TGV -
• Vendôme -Villiers -sur -Loir -TGV

History

Planning

Plans for a high-speed line from Paris to the South West of France have been developed since 1975 in the context of expected utilization increases. On September 15, 1983, the President of the French Republic announced the construction of the track. End of November 1984 began in the suburbs of Paris, the construction work on the first of three tunnels. The five-kilometer Ville Just- tunnel is the largest engineering construction of the new line.

In early 1983, the French Government provided the SNCF permission to build the track. In a further step in establishing a law on the Community economy of the new line followed as a condition for the start of construction. As a start-up date the year 1989/90 was planned, with twelve billion French francs ( other source: 17 billion francs ), the total cost is estimated. The transport potential of the TGV on the new route was forecast at 21 million trips per year. On January 1, 1983, the SNCF set up a Commission for the configuration of the line.

The route was declared by decree of the French Ministry of Transport 25 May 1984 for economically useful and meaningful.

Construction

Construction work on the 474 m long tunnel at Fontenayles -Roses, in the suburbs of Paris, began in late November 1984 the construction work on the track. The plan was to take the 305 km long section between Paris and Le Mans operation in 1989, a year later, the southern branch should follow to Tours.

On February 15, 1985, the official start of construction will be celebrated at Boinville -le- Gaillard. On 1 July 1987, the first railroad to be laid at Auneau. Closing the gap was celebrated on February 2, 1989 in the vicinity of the Vouvray tunnel.

As the largest civil engineering structure of the new stretch of the five-kilometer Ville Just Tunnel ( at Massy Palaiseau - ) emerged. Contradictions of citizens led inter alia to an underground route to 1.2 km in length in Paris.

The proposed budget was (inflation- adjusted) observed.

Commissioning

In September 1989, initially the section between Vanves and Connerré was opened ( main line and Western branch line ).

The official opening took place on 20 September 1989. After passengers had blocked the railway station of Le Mans tracks to protest against the expected impacts of the TGV, an opening parade for journalists came far east Le Mans to a halt and went after a long wait to return to Paris. Another opening gambit reached Le Mans, was stuck by hundreds of protesters with protest stickers and then drove back to Paris. In Paris, Prime Minister Rochard stopped at the station blockaded Vaugirad a speech. Originally, the two trains from Paris should go with one train Croisic and a meeting of Brest and fourth to Paris.

The control operations began on 24 September 1989. With the commissioning of the travel time shortened on the 201.6 km long route between Paris and Le Mans at 54 minutes. Due to problems with the on-board computers of the TGV trains operated the trains that were originally supposed to go as a double header, first with two separate trains every three minutes. In addition, only 27 were TGV South -East trainsets available, of which 21 were used for the scheduled traffic, and five served as a reserve, of which only a very small number of connections could be offered initially. With the delivery of a total of 42 sets until then could the timetable, and be significantly improved with 35 trainsets in regularly scheduled service, from 28 January 1990.

Shortly after the recording operation, more than 100,000 people daily, the new route. On 26 November 1989, the one millionth passenger was transported. To May 1990 took the TGV Atlantique 4.5 million people, with an average utilization of trains of 70 percent. Depending on the expected usage of four different aggregates were collected, each of which included a seat reservation with.

On September 30, 1990, the southwestern stretch, taken between Court and Alain Saint- Pierre -des-Corps, in operation.

Due to the distance, the travel time between Paris and Tours shortened by 35 minutes to a hour and 3 minutes. Between Paris and Poitiers, the new travel time was 88 minutes ( 50 minutes shorter), between Paris and Toulouse went to the travel time is also 50 minutes to five hours and six minutes back. Between Paris and Bordeaux 75 minutes were obtained, with a journey time of 178 minutes over the new line. In regular traffic (without peak trains ) 15 TGV trains between Paris and Bordeaux were first offered.

World record on May 18, 1990

On May 18, 1990, the TGV Atlantique trainset 325 at Vendôme with 515.3 kmh a new world speed record for rail vehicles on