LGV Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur

LGV Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur, also LGV PACA, is the name of a planned high-speed railway in the south of France ( Ligne à grande vitesse, LGV), which after 2020 as a continuation of the LGV Méditerranée to connect the Côte d' Azur to the French TGV high- speed network will improve.

Starting position

The French Riviera, the Côte d' Azur is integrated via the built in 1858-1872 railway Marseille- Ventimiglia in the French railway network. TGVs run since 1984 from Paris to Toulon, since April 3, 1987 also from Paris to Nice. The through the commissioning of the LGV Rhône -Alpes (1992/ 94) and LGV Méditerranée (2001 ) allowed travel time of about three hours between Paris and Marseille also shortened the travel times from northern France to the situated east of Marseille goals. However, the fastest train Paris-Nice still needed more than 5.5 hours. In the French domestic flights Paris-Nice, the relation is, however, more than three million passengers a year, one of the most important compounds.

The French state and SNCF intend since the late 1990s, the construction of a high-speed line to Nice, to increase the market share of rail on the highly popular Paris- Nice again. In addition to the transport relations along the Mediterranean coast, about between Genoa and Barcelona, ​​improved.

Route alternatives

Variants of the possible route of a LGV Provence- Alpes- Côte d' Azur were the French public between 21 February and 8 July 2005 by the Commission nationale du débat public ( CNDP ), a 1995 founded for information and debate on major infrastructure projects state institution presented. While the railway line to the east of to Les Arcs / Le Muy provided station " Est Var " largely follow the Autoroute A8 and go to Antibes in the existing line, three great alternatives with numerous detail variations have been proposed for the western section:

  • The summarized as scenarios à un ax routes are aligned on the existing track alignment. Beginning in the east of Marseilles they run either on or north of Toulon Toulon to the east. They allow short travel times between Marseille, Toulon and Nice, as well as a driving time of about four hours on the route Paris - Nice. Depending on the detail planning construction cost 5.9 to 8.4 billion euros ( price level 2004) and an increase of 2 to 2.5 million passengers per year expected.
  • The term scenarios à deux axes route alternatives were summarized that branch already north of Marseille from the LGV Méditerranée and - partly north and partly south of Aix -en- Provence - lead towards Nice on a new station in the far north of Greater Toulon. Thus journey times between 3 hours 40 minutes and 4 hours could be reached between Paris and Nice, while only minor improvements would be achieved when driving from Marseille to the east. Depending on the detail planning construction cost 4.9 to 7.5 billion euros ( price level 2004) and an increase by 3 to 3.3 million annual passengers are forecast.
  • The scenarios à trois axes summarize those plans, do not include the participation of Toulon directly into the new connection. Significantly north of Marseille, branching off from the LGV Méditerranée follow these routes either the Autoroute A8 or even run north of the Argens. The Paris- Nice could be covered in these variants in up to 3 hours 35 minutes. For quick connection of Marseille and Toulon towards the east, a branch line of Toulon is provided to the A8. Depending on the detail planning construction costs from 5.3 to 6 billion euros ( price level 2004) and an increase of approximately 2.6 million passengers per year expected.

In particular, the non-parallel out to highways route alternatives met with some strong opposition by local and regional bodies, who fear massive impairment of quality of life, for example in urban areas, the mountain ranges of the Massif des Maures and the Massif de la Sainte -Baume, or agricultural areas or the ratio of keep costs to the expected benefits for the poor. The participating departments of Bouches -du -Rhône, Var and Alpes- Maritimes could not agree on a preferred route up in the summer of 2008.

Schedule

The owner and operator of the French railway infrastructure, Réseau Ferré de France ( RFF), planned in mid-2008 to make a recommendation for the cheapest version of the circuit, and later was named the October 2008 deadline. The decision was postponed to February 12, 2009. On that day, but was only announced that a decision is not expected before summer 2009. End of June 2009 declared the French Environment Minister Jean -Louis Borloo, that the track is built via Toulon. It is expected to cost up to 15 billion euros.

According to the original announcement by François Fillon a political decision on the pipeline route should be like in 2008. Provided funding and approval should then be started around 2010 with the design and by 2015 with the construction in order to take the route around 2020 into operation.

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