LGV Sud Europe Atlantique

The LGV Sud Europe Atlantique (short: LGV SEA) is a planned high-speed line in France. It is intended for high-speed trains and connects as a southern extension of the LGV Atlantique, the cities of Tours and Bordeaux. Its length is 303 km, 49 km connecting lines are added to the Stations of Poitiers and Angoulême. The route runs largely parallel to the old, now congested railway. The LGV Sud Europe Atlantique is designed for a maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour, it is to be driven at 300 kilometers per hour. The journey time between Paris and Bordeaux will be shortened to 50 minutes to two hours and then ten minutes. The opening is planned for 2017.

Financing

The track is built by construction company Vinci in an operator model. The company sat down with it through against the competitors Bouygues and Eiffage. At the consortium includes the bank Caisse des Dépôts and the insurance group Axa are involved.

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. To finance Vinci is to receive a loan from the European Investment Bank more than three billion euros. Passenger traffic between Paris and Bordeaux could rise by the new line around three million to 19 million to 20 million travelers per year.

History

Preparations

On September 25, 1990 to Saint- Pierre -des-Corps near Tours leading the LGV Atlantique Südwestast was put into operation. Since then run TGV trains between Paris and Bordeaux. The introduced on 1 April 1992 Comprehensive Plan for the French high-speed lines then contained the project of a LGV Aquitaine line called an extension of the LGV Atlantique to Bordeaux. 1997-1998 first feasibility studies were carried out for this purpose. Before the realization of the line was then divided into two sections: Angoulême -Bordeaux and Tours- Angoulême.

Angoulême -Bordeaux

According to official studies 2001-2003 In 2005, the regional planning process was initiated. On 20 July 2006, the primary public interest in the project was officially established. In preparation for the construction of high-speed rail a second parallel railway bridge over the Garonne in Bordeaux was built until 2008. By September 2010, the second track pair was connected to the Bordeaux Saint -Jean train station.

The travel time between Paris and Bordeaux to decline by almost an hour to two hours after completion.

Tours- Angoulême

For this section only between 2004 and 2006 trials were created. On 16 April 2007, the project was officially approved by the Ministry of Transport. The overriding public interest therein was declared in the spring of 2009.

Planned continuations

To be built from Bordeaux two further high-speed lines by 2020: The LGV Bordeaux - Espagne to the Spanish border to Irun and the LGV Bordeaux -Toulouse. The journey time from Paris to Toulouse will then be only about three hours over five hours today.

Construction

In the years 2010 to 2011, preliminary work was carried out, such as deforestation or Archaeological excavations on the later route. The actual civil engineering works and construction of engineering structures began in late 2011 and will last until early 2015. During the year 2015, the route will be equipped with the rail infrastructure. Then the first test drives will take place from mid- 2016. The route is to go mid in 2017.

Infrastructure

The track, as each new line in France, electrified with 25 kV 50 Hz AC. The signaling consists of TVM 430 and ETCS Level 2; they will be supplied by Ansaldo STS. A total of 60 million euros will be invested, of which 47 million is attributable to the TVM 430 and 13 million to ETCS Level 2.

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