What's at stake for SGPSO
Connection that makes people free
When embraced, mobility is a source of emancipation and well-being at individual level, and of integration and social cohesion at collective level.
The essence of the project is to improve connections between individuals, families, socio-economic actors, developers and local areas themselves.
It is designed to facilitate access to other people, activities and local areas and to multiply travel opportunities by increasing capacity and frequency for today’s and future generations – while reducing impact.
There is only one planet Earth
The New Line will enable modal shift towards electric and low-carbon mobility. Around 10 years after opening, the line aims to have a positive carbon footprint, avoiding the emission of 340,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent per year of operation. This is equivalent to the annual transport emissions of more than 123,000 French people* or the combined population of the three towns where the new stations are located, Agen, Mont-de-Marsan and Montauban**.
(*Annual emissions per inhabitant in France in 2021 = 8.9 tonnes (source: Ministry of Ecological Transition), of which 31% is due to transport, i.e. 2,759 tonnes. 340,000/2,759= 123,233) (**Official population in 2023: Agen 31,257 + Mont-de-Marsan 29,417 + Montauban 63,169 = 123,843)
Although very little land will be sealed, natural or agricultural areas and living species will be affected.
The funders expect the contracting authorities, SNCF Réseau and SNCF Gares & Connexions, to go well beyond their legal obligations, and SGPSO and its members will be very active in ensuring that the project sets an example in this area. The partners will put in place measures to overcompensate for negative impacts and will involve associations in their definition, design, implementation and evaluation. A system for involving civil society in the integration of the New Line into the area and into the times, dealing in particular with the issues of ecology and mobility, will be designed from 2024.
Briefcases & backpacks
The New Line will make it possible to run trains for all uses and all profiles: students, families, workers, remote workers, pensioners, tourists, etc. Everyone will be able to find a ticket to suit their budget, with a wide range of fares including low-cost tickets from those of Ouigo – which now accounts for 25% of traffic on the Paris-Bordeaux high-speed line (source: Liséa), with aiming to reach 30% by 2030– to those in Business First, and in the future those sold by new train operators.
A leading employer
SNCF Réseau estimates that in light of the other high-speed lines built, 10,000 jobs will be created in the first phase of the GPSO construction sites: 4,000 direct jobs, 4,000 indirect jobs (suppliers) and 2,000 further related jobs (service activities in the areas concerned). The construction sites will be accompanied by training and social integration initiatives for people with few employment prospects and will give pride of place to social employment and the participation of the local economic fabric.
A solid local base
Toulouse is the fourth and soon-to-be-third largest city in France and is the only major metropolis without an efficient rail link to the capital, forcing people from the Paris region and western France to travel by air. For years, the Toulouse–Orly flight route has been the busiest in Europe! The New Line will enable convenient modal shift to rail.
Rail will become the main means of transport within the region and between the cities of South West France, ahead of road: the New Line will create new tracks, making it possible to introduce many more regional express trains (TERs) at a time when the metropolitan rail hubs are currently saturated. This will provide a viable alternative to road transport and reduce road congestion, particularly in major cities.
The New Line will enable metropolitan regional express services to be established, effectively linking the cities and areas of the South West with each other and metropolises, and connecting metropolises. Rural areas will be able to increase their attractiveness.
It will be possible to run more night trains and more freight trains.
Bordeaux and Toulouse will be only 1h05 apart and will be able to cooperate much more closely. Metropolises could be brought closer together and become ‘twin cities’ thanks to a high-speed regional express service (RER).
The Spanish and Portuguese are eagerly awaiting the works in France to complete the Atlantic Corridor for passengers and freight. The Spanish high-speed line will reach the French border in 2028. The links between the Iberian Peninsula and France, between Southern and Northern Europe, between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean towards Italy will be forged in the South West.
Time savings
Travelling by the New Line saves time and makes it easier to spend time together. Like remote working, which saves you time, saving an hour between Toulouse and Bordeaux or Paris means you can make better decisions and spend more time at your destination, or leave later and return to Paris or Toulouse the same day. It’s even quicker to travel from the centre of Paris to the centre of Toulouse by train in 3h10 than by plane, and much less tiring and disruptive as there is no need to change transport mode from start to finish.
By train, everyone can enjoy the scenery without the turbulence.