Contournement Nîmes – Montpellier

Overall TGV system map showing the general route of the Nîmes – Montpellier bypass and connections with other lines.

The Contournement Nîmes-Montpellier (English: "Nîmes – Montpellier Bypass") is a high-speed railway line under construction, bypassing the cities of Nîmes and Montpellier in southern France.[1][2][3]

Route

The line is planned for mixed-use, by both TGV trains and freight,[4] connecting to the LGV Méditerranée[1] and extending it southwest towards the LGV Perpignan–Figueres. Two new TGV stations will be built at Manduel-Redessan (near Nîmes) and Odysseum (near Montpellier);[4] the existing stations would not be able to cope with the expected high volume of TGVs.[5] Unusually, RFF is taking responsibility for building the stations, which will connect to the TER network and to Montpellier's tram network.

The main line will be 60 km long, plus a 10 km connection to rail freight lines West of the Rhone river, and three more spurs connecting to existing railways at Jonquières, Lattes, and Manduel.[6]

Project

Déclaration d'utilité publique was passed in 2005;[7] by May 2009, three bids had been received,[8] out of which in January 2012, a joint venture led by Bouygues in cooperation with Setec, Systra and SGTE was selected to build the railway at a cost of €2·06bn.[6]

A 25-year public–private partnership contract was thereupon signed in June 2012, for construction starting in late 2013 or early 2014 after 18 months of permitting and land acquisition, and an expected opening in December 2017.[9] A further extension towards the LGV Perpignan–Figueres is unlikely to be completed until well after 2020.[10]

References

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