LGV Rhin-Rhône

The LGV Rhin-Rhône (French: Ligne à Grande Vitesse; English: high-speed line) is a French high-speed rail line, the first in France to be presented as an inter-regional route rather than a link from the provinces to Paris,[1] though it actually is used by some trains to/from Paris. The first phase of the eastern branch opened on 11 December 2011. Construction of its second phase was expected to start in 2014 but has unclear funding at this stage.

LGV Rhin-Rhône
View of the line in Saulnot
Overview
StatusOperational, partly projected
OwnerSNCF Réseau
LocaleBourgogne-Franche-Comté
France
TerminiPetit-Croix
Villers-les-Pots
StationsBesançon Franche-Comté TGV station
Belfort – Montbéliard TGV station
Service
TypeHigh-speed rail
Operator(s)SNCF
Rolling stockTGV Duplex
TGV Sud-Est
TGV Réseau
TGV POS
Siemens Velaro D
History
Opened11 December 2011
Technical
Line length140 km (87 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz
Operating speed320 km/h (200 mph)
SignallingTVM-430
Route map

 Line from Dijon
 from Paris via west branch LGV Rhin-Rhône
0.0
 to Vallorbe
8.3
 River Saône
52.0
 Besançon Franche-Comté TGV
57.1
 to Besançon-Viotte
Line from Belfort
133.9
 Belfort – Montbéliard TGV
 to Delle
137.9
 Line to Mulhouse
 east branch LGV Rhin-Rhône to Mulhouse

If completed, LGV Rhin-Rhône would have three branches:

The construction of the latter two branches and of the second phase of the Eastern branch is currently unfunded.

Running north-south, the Southern branch line would help connect Germany, the north of Switzerland, and eastern France on the one hand with the valleys of the Saône, Rhône, the Mediterranean arc and finally Catalonia on the other. The east-west Eastern and Western branches lines would help connect on the one hand London, Brussels, Lille and Île-de-France (i.e., Paris and surroundings) with Burgundy, Franche-Comté, south Alsace, southern Baden, and Switzerland on the other.

A connection will be built at Perrigny, south of Dijon, to serve TGV and freight trains. Auxon station will be connected to Besançon-Viotte station by a railway line which could be also used for commuter trains.

It is projected that 12 million passengers per year will use the LGV Rhine-Rhône service.[2]

Western branch

The western branch consists of the crossing of Dijon, where a new station is to be built, the connection to the Paris-Marseille line near Montbard and the connection with the LGV Sud-Est at the Pasilly-Aisy junction. This branch will speed up connections with the Île-de-France region.

Southern branch

In 2009, the regional planning procedure for the 150 km long south branch was launched. Seven routes have been put up for discussion by the developer Réseau ferré de France, who favours a route parallel to the A 39 motorway, at an estimated cost of €3 billion.

History
LGV Rhin-Rhône schema
Inaugural train with President Nicolas Sarkozy on board on the first stretch of the LGV Rhin-Rhône, 8 September 2011, near Genlis

The first phase of the eastern branch runs 140 km (87 mi) of the 190 km planned length, connecting Villers-les-Pots (east of Dijon) to Petit-Croix (southeast of Belfort), was officially opened by President Nicolas Sarkozy on 8 September 2011,[3] with passenger services starting on 11 December 2011.[4]

The eastern branch is used by TGV trains operated by SNCF, the French national railway company. It will become a key link in both the north–south and east–west transport corridors. The line carries regional, national, and intra-European traffic. Mulhouse provides connection to Basel, Switzerland, and then to southwestern Germany and northwestern Switzerland.

Finance

The financing agreement for the first phase of the eastern branch was signed on 28 February 2006. The estimated cost of the first section of the eastern branch is 2.312 billion euros, shared between many organisations.[5]

The largest contributors of funds are the Government of France (€751 million), the maintainer of the French rail network RFF (€642 million) and the European Union (€200 million).[3] Significant funding also came from the three regions of France that the line travels through: Franche-Comté (€316 million), Alsace (€206 million) and Burgundy (€131 million). A further €66 million was funded by the Government of Switzerland.[3]

Construction
Map of France showing LGVs. LGV Rhin-Rhône is shown in shades of blue, south-east of Paris.

Preparatory works began in 2005, and construction officially started on 3 July 2006 with a ceremony in Les Magny, Haute-Saône. Actual construction of the first section started north of Besançon on 7 August 2006.

Réseau Ferré de France appointed French engineering and consulting companies Setec and Egis to build the line. The construction of the Eastern branch was divided into two sections :

Journey times

Upon completion of the first section of the eastern branch, best journey time are:[7]

fromtobeforeafter
DijonStrasbourg3h252h00
DijonFrankfurt6h303h40
BesançonMarseille4h154h00
Belfort-Montbéliard TGVParis3h25 from Belfort
3h40 from Montbéliard		2h25
StrasbourgLyon4h453h35

See also

References
  1. Murray Hughes (5 September 2007). "Inter-regional TGV line will have an international impact". Railway Gazette International.
  2. Railway Gazette, Presidential opening for LGV Rhin-Rhône, 8 september 2011.
  3. "Presidential opening for LGV Rhin-Rhône". Railway Gazette International. 8 September 2011.
  4. "LGV Rhin-Rhône opens". Railway Gazette International. 12 December 2011.
  5. Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing, Le financement de l'infrastructure, consulted 28 December 2007
  6. "Inauguration of the TGV Rhine-Rhone high speed line". UIC eNews Nr 254. International Union of Railways. 9 September 2011.
  7. "Présentation de la LGV Rhin-Rhône". Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport and Housing. 1 June 2007. Retrieved 29 November 2011.

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