New South-Western Line (LNSO): construction work moves forward

A look back at two key events in the history of the New South-Western Line: the monitoring of the project by the steering committee on 6 December, and the working day between France and Spain on 12 December, which brought together the LNSO and Basque Y projects.

The Occitanie / Pyrénées-Méditerranée Region, the Haute-Garonne Department, Toulouse Métropole, the SGPSO Public Establishment and the Occitanie Region Prefecture, coordinator of the GPSO, received a delegation from the Spanish government on Thursday 12 December, led by Mr José Antonio Sebastián Ruiz, Atlantic Corridor Coordinator for the Spanish government, to discuss their respective cross-border high-speed rail projects.

A morning of technical discussions was held with the Occitanie Region and the SGPSO. SNCF Réseau then organised a visit to the Aménagements ferroviaires au Nord de Toulouse (AFNT), a project to promote low-carbon daily transport.

After a presentation of the latest news on the LNSO in France and the Basque Y in Spain, the SGPSO, the Occitanie Region and the Spanish delegation were able to discuss the countries' policies on high-speed rail, the financing of infrastructure, the development of the Basque Y in Spain and the development of the Basque Y in France.

infrastructure financing, the opening up of routes to competition, cross-border traffic forecasts, the common interests of France and Spain in Europe and the construction of a cross-border cooperation initiative with the high-speed lines to the east and west of the chain.

The GPSO Agency then welcomed the delegation to the strategic site of the Chemin du Moulin road bridge at Lespinasse, in the presence of the project's partners and financiers.

The visit highlighted the progress made on the AFNT site, which is the first phase of the New South-Western Line (LNSO) programme.

The main improvements to the north of Toulouse involve :

- 4-tracking of the Bordeaux-Sète line between Saint-Jory (where it will connect with the LGV) and Toulouse,

- Upgrades to stations along the route (Saint-Jory, Fenouillet, Lacourtensourt, Lalande and Route de Launaguet), plus a partial terminus for suburban TER trains at Castelnau d'Estrétefonds.

Teams from SNCF Réseau and the GPSO Agency also reported on the recent ‘lightning operations’ in November 2024, which mobilised 150 people over 48 hours to give this site a real boost while limiting the impact on local residents and rail traffic. These operations involved

- Reinforcing the banks of the canal alongside the Garonne,

- Demolition of existing structures to widen the infrastructure,

- civil engineering works in the 5 municipalities concerned (Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds, Saint-Jory, Fenouillet, Lespinasse, Lacourtensourt).

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In addition, at the LNSO Copil meeting on 6 December last, its members discussed the organisation of future design and construction contracts for the New South-Western Line, particularly for those parts that will be carried out using the design-build method. The partners have agreed to recommend that the Bordeaux-Toulouse section be divided into two lots covering civil engineering (earthworks, engineering structures) and railway equipment (track, catenaries), with systems (signalling and telecommunications) covered by a separate approach for the project as a whole. The Sud-Gironde - Dax section will be covered by a single design-build contract for civil engineering and railway equipment. Finally, a convention will be organised by SNCF Réseau in the spring of 2025 to provide companies with more detailed information on the scope of the consultations that will be launched during 2025.

 

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Pierre-André Durand, GPSO coordinating prefect, said: ‘The AFNT and AFSB projects, which are now underway, are the first concrete expression of the LNSO. Despite a constrained budgetary context, the project is continuing to move forward, thanks to the mobilisation of all the players: we can only be delighted.

Carole Delga, President of the Occitanie Region, declared that ‘with our Spanish neighbours, we have an obvious common interest in working together to bring to fruition what our fellow citizens expect from high-speed rail: quality, low-carbon mobility for people and goods linking our territories, the South and North of Europe, the Atlantic and the Mediterranean. I am delighted to see that on both sides of the Pyrenees we share this ambition for cooperation. This first meeting augurs a new and fruitful cycle of actions for the benefit of our territories, their stakeholders and their inhabitants’.

Sébastien Vincini, President of the Haute-Garonne Department, said: ‘The rapprochement with our Spanish neighbours is an opportunity for Haute-Garonne. The historic ties that unite us are becoming even stronger, and I'm delighted about that. We need to offer all the people of Haute-Garonne, in the metropolitan area and beyond, a competitive transport alternative. Travelling by public transport must be faster and more efficient. These rail developments to the north of Toulouse are a precursor of the infrastructure that will enable us to develop a multimodal offer for everyday travel’.

Jean-Luc Moudenc, President of Toulouse Métropole, said: ‘While linking Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse by high-speed train is first and foremost an ecological necessity, linking Spain to our region, to France and to Northern Europe is just as important. Exchanges between Toulouse and San Sebastian, Bilbao or Madrid, in particular, will be further strengthened, to the mutual benefit of the players and inhabitants of our metropolis. I'm looking forward to it, as are all the people of Toulouse and no doubt our dear Spanish neighbours.

‘Every step forward on the AFNT project is another step towards smoother, more sustainable and better-connected mobility. In 2026, the first step will be taken with the opening of the partial terminus at Castelnau-d'Estrétefonds. In 2031, 4 railway tracks will increase traffic on the northern branch, serving both everyday passengers and freight’ said Christophe Huau.

 

 

To download the press release, click here.