North of Toulouse, the construction site for the future LGV is finally getting underway.

This is the implementation of a future high-speed line (LGV) between Toulouse (Haute-Garonne) and Paris via Bordeaux. On Tuesday, members of the Grand Projet Sud-Ouest (GPSO), bringing together 24 local authorities from Occitanie and New Aquitaine, tightened the first bolt on the railway construction site north of Toulouse (AFNT), the first link of the LGV to Bordeaux. and Paris. The start of a colossal project to develop 19 km of tracks between Saint-Jori and Matabio station. This new line, totaling 418 km, is expected to be delivered between 2030 and 2032, reducing train travel time between the Pink City and the capital to 3 hours 10 minutes from 4 hours 10 minutes. The thirty-year-old project is finally taking shape.

14 billion euros

“This first phase coincides with the development of railways south of Bordeaux, which will end the inequality of Toulouse, as it is the only regional capital of France without a high-speed rail,” said Jean-Luc Moudenc, president of Toulouse. .Metropolis. I draw the attention of the state and SNCF to also consider the immediate surroundings of the stations in order to have a full understanding of their accessibility and work on intermodality. It will also support the development of the daily train and the future Capital Regional Express service for which we have applied.”

Around 14 billion euros have been invested in this first phase of work, including 900 million for AFNT. GPSO provides 40% of the financing for the operation. Carol Delga, president of the Occitanie region, welcomed “this first important but still insufficient step for the development of daily trains. We must develop a second route in the northwestern quarter of Occitanie, including Montauban, which is already congested at the railway level.

The state is providing 40% of the funding, with the remaining 20% ​​coming from Europe as the line, along with three new stations and two stops, provide faster access to the southwest, all the way to Spain. . The investment costs for the second phase of the new Dax-Spain line amount to 4 billion euros.