12 kilometers of new routes at the heart of lively debates. While the development of an additional railway line south of Bordeaux was the subject of political consensus, the project became the subject of controversy. Particularly since the request for a moratorium from parliamentarians of all sides expressed last December concerning infrastructure, the cost of which is close to one billion euros. With this question: is there really a railway junction south of Bordeaux?
SNCF asked to justify the interest of railway developments south of Bordeaux
The public inquiry which opens on July 15 – in the middle of the school holidays and a month late due to the electoral reserve period – should allow SNCF Réseau, the project owner, to clarify the question. The project will prepare the ground for the arrival of the Metropolitan Regional Express Services (SERM) lines which will cross the Bordeaux conurbation, for the increase in the TER offer planned by the Region and of course for the future LGV which must connect Bordeaux to Toulouse and Dax. The project thus provides for the development of a 3rd track – and even a 4th in the railway stops -, the removal of level crossings and the construction of bridges and roads to span the new tracks.
“We redo the study from A to Z”
Parliamentarians were not the only ones to question the benefit of the maneuver. At the end of April, the Environmental Authority bluntly qualified “regulatory non-compliance” the absence of a study on the new transport offer and the modal shift induced by the future infrastructure. In other words, SNCF Réseau does not seem capable, to date, of presenting the elements justifying the interest of the new route, the public utility of which was declared in 2015 then extended for five years in 2022. “The new traffic studies will be completely redone and will be presented by the end of the year or early 2025”announced to La Tribune Christophe Huau, the director of the Grand Sud-Ouest railway project agency.
« Compared to 2015, the territories have continued to develop and welcome new populations, the SERMs have been added and the national freight strategy has been defined with a desire to double its modal share. The need for rail is even stronger than when we had the DUPs [Déclaration d’utilité publique, ndlr]argues Christophe Huau. The studies were carried out in 2014, everything will be updated on all types of traffic. We are redoing the impact study from A to Z. »
The rail highway between Bayonne and Cherbourg will wait until 2025
In a mess
Therefore, the holding of the public inquiry after a request for a moratorium and before the submission of the latest studies is surprising. A deficiency pointed out by the collectives which bring together opponents of the LGV project. One of them, LGVEA, held two information meetings last week to raise concerns about this disorder. “ The presentation of the studies is always postponed, questions have been asked for months and we have no answers. SNCF Réseau must prove to us that there is a need for a new path. », Launches Michel Lopez, member of the LGVEA office, who also criticizes the postponement of the consultation during the holidays.
After the public inquiry, the prefect of Gironde will have to decide and say whether or not he grants a green light to the project. SNCF Réseau is planning eight years of work but has already started the demolition of homes and the first preparatory works south of Bordeaux. North of Toulouse, the major maneuvers were officially launched at the beginning of May and the project owner is planning for delivery within six years.
LGV Toulouse – Bordeaux: work north of Toulouse begins, for entry into service in 2030?
