LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire
Encyclopedia
The LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire is a proposed French
high-speed rail
line which is scheduled to be complete by 2016. Running between Le Mans
and Rennes
, it would be serviced by TGV
trains operated by SNCF
, the French national railway company. The total cost is put at €3.4bn, with funding agreed on 29 July 2008 between the various bodies involved. The French government will contribute €990m, equal to contributions from local government. The remaining €1.02bn comes from RFF
. On 19 June 2009, it was announced that following the submission of bids for the construction of the line, three groups had been short-listed: a consortium led by Bouygues TP
, Eiffage
, and a consortium led by Vinci Concessions. On 18 January 2011, it was announced that Eiffage had won; Eiffage and RFF are expected to sign the final contract during 1st quarter, 2011. The funding agreement was signed on July 12th, 2011, and construction is expected to start in 2012. Preliminary studies will take place between May 2011 and July 2012, with construction starting during the autumn of 2012. Completion is expected in late 2016.
western branch near Conneré (Sarthe
). After a connection north of Le Mans
, the LGV will dip towards the southwest with a connection to the regular Le Mans-Angers
line near Sablé-sur-Sarthe
. The connection, at a length of 32 km, from Sablé-sur-Sarthe allows the faster journey times to Nantes. It will then rise to pass north of Laval
and re-join the regular ligne at Cesson-Sévigné
, near Rennes
. The total length of the route will be roughly 214 km of which 182 km will be high speed.
and Rennes-Quimper lines was suggested (elimination of level crossings, straightening of curves) so that the lines could be used by tilting TGVs (not yet built) at 220 km/h. This project is now abandoned. The journey time for Paris to Brest and Quimper would have been 3 hours.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
high-speed rail
High-speed rail
High-speed rail is a type of passenger rail transport that operates significantly faster than the normal speed of rail traffic. Specific definitions by the European Union include for upgraded track and or faster for new track, whilst in the United States, the U.S...
line which is scheduled to be complete by 2016. Running between Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
and Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
, it would be serviced by TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
trains operated by SNCF
SNCF
The SNCF , is France's national state-owned railway company. SNCF operates the country's national rail services, including the TGV, France's high-speed rail network...
, the French national railway company. The total cost is put at €3.4bn, with funding agreed on 29 July 2008 between the various bodies involved. The French government will contribute €990m, equal to contributions from local government. The remaining €1.02bn comes from RFF
Réseau Ferré de France
Réseau Ferré de France , , owns and maintains the French national railway network. The trains are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to European Union Directive 91/440, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure.Unlike other...
. On 19 June 2009, it was announced that following the submission of bids for the construction of the line, three groups had been short-listed: a consortium led by Bouygues TP
Bouygues
Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...
, Eiffage
Eiffage
-History:The company was formed in 1992 through the merger of several companies: Fougerolle , Quillery , Beugnet , and La Societe Auxiliaire d' Enterprises Electriques et de Travaux Public, better known as SAE .-Major projects:Recent projects have included the Channel Tunnel completed in 1994, the...
, and a consortium led by Vinci Concessions. On 18 January 2011, it was announced that Eiffage had won; Eiffage and RFF are expected to sign the final contract during 1st quarter, 2011. The funding agreement was signed on July 12th, 2011, and construction is expected to start in 2012. Preliminary studies will take place between May 2011 and July 2012, with construction starting during the autumn of 2012. Completion is expected in late 2016.
Planned route
The line will begin as an extension of the LGV AtlantiqueLGV Atlantique
The LGV Atlantique is a high-speed railway line running from Paris to Western France. It opened in 1989-1990. It divides into two parts at Courtalain, one going westward to Le Mans , the second one going southwestward to Tours .-Route:The line leaves Gare Montparnasse to cross Paris's southern...
western branch near Conneré (Sarthe
Sarthe
Sarthe is a French department, named after the Sarthe River.- History :The department was created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790, pursuant to the law of December 22, 1789, starting from a part of the province of Maine which was divided into two departments, Sarthe to the east and...
). After a connection north of Le Mans
Le Mans
Le Mans is a city in France, located on the Sarthe River. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Mans. Le Mans is a part of the Pays de la Loire region.Its inhabitants are called Manceaux...
, the LGV will dip towards the southwest with a connection to the regular Le Mans-Angers
Angers
Angers is the main city in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France about south-west of Paris. Angers is located in the French region known by its pre-revolutionary, provincial name, Anjou, and its inhabitants are called Angevins....
line near Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Sablé-sur-Sarthe
Sablé-sur-Sarthe, commonly referred to as Sablé, is a commune in the Sarthe department in the Pays de la Loire region in west France.-Geography:...
. The connection, at a length of 32 km, from Sablé-sur-Sarthe allows the faster journey times to Nantes. It will then rise to pass north of Laval
Laval, Mayenne
Laval is a commune in the Mayenne department in north-western France.It lies on the threshold of Brittany and on the border between Normandy and Anjou. Its citizens are called Lavallois.-Geography:...
and re-join the regular ligne at Cesson-Sévigné
Cesson-Sévigné
Cesson-Sévigné is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Brittany in north-western France.It is a suburb directly to the east of Rennes, bordered on its west side by the University of Rennes and the Technopole Atalante. It is primarily a residential area for the middle class. The south side...
, near Rennes
Rennes
Rennes is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France. Rennes is the capital of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department.-History:...
. The total length of the route will be roughly 214 km of which 182 km will be high speed.
Journey times
- Paris-Rennes 1:26 (a reduction of 37 mins)
- Paris-NantesNantesNantes is a city in western France, located on the Loire River, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the 6th largest in France, while its metropolitan area ranks 8th with over 800,000 inhabitants....
1:52 (a reduction of 8 mins)
Associated project
Improvement of the conventional Rennes-BrestBrest, France
Brest is a city in the Finistère department in Brittany in northwestern France. Located in a sheltered position not far from the western tip of the Breton peninsula, and the western extremity of metropolitan France, Brest is an important harbour and the second French military port after Toulon...
and Rennes-Quimper lines was suggested (elimination of level crossings, straightening of curves) so that the lines could be used by tilting TGVs (not yet built) at 220 km/h. This project is now abandoned. The journey time for Paris to Brest and Quimper would have been 3 hours.