LGV Rhin-Rhône

SNCF
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The LGV Rhin-Rhône is a high-speed railway line under construction running between Strasbourg and Lyon, in France. It will be used by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. The eastern branch, a new line between Dijon and Mulhouse, will become a key link in both the North-South and East-West transport corridors. The line will have a large regional, national, and intra-European impact.

Route

* The North-South line would help connect Germany, the north of Switzerland, eastern France, the valleys of the Saône, Rhône, and the Mediterranean arc and finally to Nice (extending to Catalonia).
*The East-West line would help connect London, Brussels, Lille, Île-de-France, Burgundy, Franche-Comté, south Alsace, southern Baden, and the French and German-speaking Switzerland. It is projected that 12 million passengers will use the LGV Rhine-Rhône service which will begin in 2012. The estimated cost of the project is 2.053 billion euros. A connection will be built at Perrigny, south of Dijon, to serve TGV and freight trains. Auxon station will be connected to Besancon-Viotte station by a railway line which could be also used for commuter trains. The construction of the LGV Rhine-Rhône will be undertaken by Rail Network of France (RFF).

A total of 12 of France's 21 metropolitan regions will benefit from the project including:

* Alsace
* Languedoc-Roussillon
* Franche-Comté
* Bourgogne
* Rhône-Alpes
* Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
* Midi-Pyrénées
* Lorraine

Construction

Construction of the line has been divided into various sub-projects:

* Eastern branch, from Mulhouse to Dijon (190 km from Genlis to Lutterbach)
* Western branch, crossing Dijon, joining the LGV Sud-Est near Montbard
* Southern branch, from Dijon to Lyon

Construction started at the north of Besançon August 7 2006.

Eastern branch

The eastern branch is currently the furthest advanced.The finance agreement for the first phase of the eastern branch which connects Villers les Pots (east of Dijon) to Petit-Croix (southeast of Belfort) was signed 28 February 2006. Subsequent to preparatory works in 2005, construction officially started on July 3, 2006 by a ceremony in Villersexel-Les Margny, Haute-Saône. This section is projected to enter service around 2011.

Finance

Financing of the €2 billion project (excluding rolling stock) is broken down as follows:

* RFF: 642
* SNCF: 94
* Switzerland: 66
* Bourgogne: 131
* Franche-Comté: 316
* Alsace: 206
* Rhône-Alpes: 66
* French government: 785
* European union: 200

Journey times

Upon completion of the Eastern branch:
* Strasbourg-Lyon 3:15, eventually 2:05 (currently 4:35)
* Belfort-Paris 2:20 (currently 3:50)
* Strasbourg-Marseille, eventually 4:30

ee also

* High-speed rail
* TGV

External links

* [http://www.lgvrhinrhone.com/english.php Ligne à Grande Vitesse Rhin-Rhône]
* [http://www.ass-tgv-rhin-rhone.net/ Association Trans-Europe TGV Rhin-Rhône Méditerranée]
* [http://www.rff.fr/pages/projets/fiche_projet.asp?lg=fr&code=147&codeRegion=9 RFF]
* [http://www.railwaygazette.com/features_view/article/2007/09/7728/inter_regional_tgv_line_will_have_an_international_impact.html Inter-regional TGV line will have an international impact]