LGV Rhin-Rhône

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SNCF LGV Rhin-Rhône

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The LGV Rhin-Rhône is a high-speed railway line under construction running between Strasbourg and Lyon, in France. It would 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 runs between 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 runs through 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 near Montbard
• Southern branch, from Dijon to Lyon
• Northern branch (still in planning stages), from Dijon to Luxembourg

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

See also

• High-speed rail
• TGV

External links

• Association Trans-Europe TGV Rhin-Rhône Méditerranée
• RFF

Lignes à grande vitesse – stations

In Service – France	LGV Sud-Est - LGV Atlantique - LGV Rhône-Alpes - LGV Nord - LGV Interconnexion Est - LGV Méditerranée
Under Construction	LGV Est - LGV Perpignan-Figueras - LGV Rhin-Rhône
Planned	LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire - LGV Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur - LGV Poitiers-Limoges - LGV Sud Europe Atlantique - LGV Bordeaux-Toulouse - LGV Barreau Picard - LGV Normandie - Lyon Turin Ferroviaire