Do you really need new lines to develop transport?

The Toulouse–Dax link does not exist, but the high-speed line will enable new low-carbon journeys that were previously made by road. On the Bordeaux–Toulouse and Bordeaux–Dax lines, it is essential to free up train slots for regional trains to ensure the development of future passenger traffic, but also freight traffic (Atlantic rolling road, revitalisation of local freight such as between Auch and Agen, service to the four commercial ports of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, Atlantic-Mediterranean link). The rail hubs of Bordeaux and Toulouse are already saturated.

Running such heterogeneous traffic as high-speed trains, regional trains and freight trains on the same line, at very different speeds, drastically limits the capacity of the rail lines (and this capacity is further reduced if you want to speed up the fastest trains). One train cannot overtake another in the current section! If new train slots are not created, this makes it impossible to develop transport services such as regional high-speed trains.

New line and existing line complement each other

The benefits of building a new line have been recognised many times. Double tracks have been built, making the network more robust and able to cope with breakdowns and incidents on the line. For the Bordeaux conurbation, the construction of a new line is an alternative to the construction of a major motorway bypass. The opening of the high-speed line should significantly reduce congestion on the A63 motorway in the Landes region and on the Bordeaux ring road, which is saturated with cars and a wall of lorries.

Only by ensuring that the new lines complement the existing ones will it be possible to distribute the different types of traffic (regional trains, intercity trains, high-speed trains, night trains and freight trains) between the two lines and ensure the development of rail transport as a whole: more trains which are more frequent and faster.