LGV Sud-Est
Encyclopedia
The LGV Sud-Est is a high-speed rail
line, which links Paris
' and Lyon
's suburbs, in France
. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin
(Yonne
) and Sathonay
(Rhône
) on 22 September 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.
This line, subsequently extended southwards by the LGV Rhône-Alpes
and LGV Méditerranée
and northwards by the LGV Interconnexion Est, has led to the speeding up of journey times:
The TGV system's compatibility with the regular rail network avoided the need for new infrastructure construction to reach existing train stations in the dense urban areas of Paris and Lyon.
The distance from Paris (Gare de Lyon
) to Lyon (Part-Dieu
) is 425 km. The LGV route is 409 km long; by avoiding built-up areas between Paris and Lyon (particularly Dijon
) this enables a route 87 km shorter than the regular line (512 km). There are no tunnels.
The line includes various connectors to the regular rail network:
These last three are used by service trains or in order to divert passenger trains if needed.
The line runs next to the A5 autoroute for 60 km and the N79 road for 15 km. For its full length, a 5 m wide area has been reserved for a telecommunication artery.
occupies 32 square kilometres), with an average width of 40 m. Platforms are 13 m wide, with a space between track centres of 4.2 m. The line was designed for a nominal speed of 300 km/h, with a minimum radius curve of 4,000 m (although 7 curves were made to a smaller radius, but no less than 3,200 m.)
In total, the line comprises 847 km of track. This is formed by UIC 60 (60.3 kg/m) rails placed in lengths of 288 m, welded in place (with certain segmented sections). The concrete sleepers of 2.41 m are formed of two blocks of concrete tied together by a metal strut. There are 1660 sleepers per kilometer.
Traction power is supplied by eight EDF
substations at 25 kV AC, 50 Hz
. The catenary
is fed by a "feeder" cable in phase opposition, which is equivalent to a 50 kV supply and reinforces the available power, one trainset being able to draw up to 14 MW.
Signalling draws on high-frequency track circuits, signals being transmitted directly to the driver's console. There are lineside marker boards indicating the limits of each block section, but no signals as such.
Le-Creusot and Mâcon-Loché are basic-looking stations situated away from built-up areas. They have two side platforms and four tracks, the two central tracks being reserved for through trains, the side tracks serving for stopping trains.
From 1996, the LGV Sud-Est received track renewal at a cost of FRF 2 billion, or about €300 million.
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 links Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
' and Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
's suburbs, in France
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...
. The inauguration of the first section between Saint-Florentin
Saint-Florentin
Saint-Florentin is the name of 2 communes in France:* Saint-Florentin, Indre, in the Indre département* Saint-Florentin, Yonne, in the Yonne département, chief town of the canton of Saint-Florentin...
(Yonne
Yonne
Yonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
) and Sathonay
Sathonay
Sathonay is a former commune of the Ain department in France. It was divided into two new communes in 1908: Sathonay-Camp and Sathonay-Village. Since 1968, these communes are not part of Ain any longer, but are part of the Rhône department....
(Rhône
Rhône (département)
Rhône is a French department located in the central Eastern region of Rhône-Alpes. It is named after the Rhône River.- History :The Rhône department was created on August 12, 1793 when the former département of Rhône-et-Loire was split into two departments: Rhône and Loire.Originally, the eastern...
) on 22 September 1981 marked the beginning of the re-invigoration of French passenger rail service.
This line, subsequently extended southwards by the LGV Rhône-Alpes
LGV Rhône-Alpes
The LGV Rhône-Alpes is a 115 km-long French high-speed rail line situated in the Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opening to service in 1994, this line bypasses the built-up Lyon area towards the east, and in addition serves Satolas station, now renamed...
and LGV Méditerranée
LGV Méditerranée
The LGV Méditerranée is a French high speed railway line of approximately 250 km length, which entered service in June, 2001. Running between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence and Marseille, it connects the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the LGV Rhône-Alpes, and from...
and northwards by the LGV Interconnexion Est, has led to the speeding up of journey times:
- between Paris and the southeast quarter of France (and by extension towards Switzerland and Italy)
- between the southeast and the north and west of France (and by extension towards BritainUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and BelgiumBelgiumBelgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
)
Route
The line crosses six départements, from north to south:- Seine-et-MarneSeine-et-MarneSeine-et-Marne is a French department, named after the Seine and Marne rivers, and located in the Île-de-France region.- History:Seine-et-Marne is one of the original 83 departments, created on March 4, 1790 during the French Revolution in application of the law of December 22, 1789...
- YonneYonneYonne is a French department named after the Yonne River. It is one of the four constituent departments of Burgundy in eastern France and its prefecture is Auxerre. Its official number is 89....
- Côte-d'OrCôte-d'OrCôte-d'Or is a department in the eastern part of France.- History :Côte-d'Or is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on 4 March 1790. It was formed from part of the former province of Burgundy.- Geography :...
- Saône-et-LoireSaône-et-LoireSaône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
- AinAinAin is a department named after the Ain River on the eastern edge of France. Being part of the region Rhône-Alpes and bordered by the rivers Saône and Rhône, the department of Ain enjoys a privileged geographic situation...
- RhôneRhône (département)Rhône is a French department located in the central Eastern region of Rhône-Alpes. It is named after the Rhône River.- History :The Rhône department was created on August 12, 1793 when the former département of Rhône-et-Loire was split into two departments: Rhône and Loire.Originally, the eastern...
The TGV system's compatibility with the regular rail network avoided the need for new infrastructure construction to reach existing train stations in the dense urban areas of Paris and Lyon.
The distance from Paris (Gare de Lyon
Gare de Lyon
Paris Lyon is one of the six large railway termini in Paris, France. It is the northern terminus of the Paris–Marseille railway. It is named after the city of Lyon, a stop for many long-distance trains departing here, most en route to the south of France. In general the station's SNCF services run...
) to Lyon (Part-Dieu
Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu
Gare de la Part-Dieu is the primary railway station in Lyon, France. It is situated on the Lyon–Geneva railway.This zone is served by the metro line and -History:...
) is 425 km. The LGV route is 409 km long; by avoiding built-up areas between Paris and Lyon (particularly Dijon
Dijon
Dijon is a city in eastern France, the capital of the Côte-d'Or département and of the Burgundy region.Dijon is the historical capital of the region of Burgundy. Population : 151,576 within the city limits; 250,516 for the greater Dijon area....
) this enables a route 87 km shorter than the regular line (512 km). There are no tunnels.
The line includes various connectors to the regular rail network:
- at Pasilly-Aisy towards Dijon, and further through the Jura mountainsJura mountainsThe Jura Mountains are a small mountain range located north of the Alps, separating the Rhine and Rhone rivers and forming part of the watershed of each...
to VallorbeVallorbeVallorbe is a municipality in the district of Jura-Nord Vaudois in the canton of Vaud in Switzerland.-History:Vallorbe is first mentioned in 1139 as de valle urbanensi. In 1148 it was mentioned as de valle urbe.-Geography:...
/LausanneLausanneLausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
or Neuchâtel/ZürichZürichZurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich... - at Mâcon-Pont-de-Veyle towards Bourg-en-BresseBourg-en-BresseBourg-en-Bresse is a commune in eastern France, capital of the Ain department, and was capital of the former province of Bresse . It is located north-northeast of Lyon.The inhabitants of Bourg-en-Bresse are known as Burgiens.-Geography:...
and SavoieSavoieSavoie is a French department located in the Rhône-Alpes region in the French Alps.Together with the Haute-Savoie, Savoie is one of the two departments of the historic region of Savoy that was annexed by France on June 14, 1860, following the signature of the Treaty of Turin on March 24, 1860... - at Saint-FlorentinSaint-FlorentinSaint-Florentin is the name of 2 communes in France:* Saint-Florentin, Indre, in the Indre département* Saint-Florentin, Yonne, in the Yonne département, chief town of the canton of Saint-Florentin...
- at Le CreusotLe CreusotLe Creusot is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.The inhabitants are known as Creusotins. Formerly a mining town, its economy is now dominated by metallurgical companies such as ArcelorMittal, Schneider Electric, and Alstom.Since the 1990s, the...
TGV station - at Mâcon-Loché station
These last three are used by service trains or in order to divert passenger trains if needed.
The line runs next to the A5 autoroute for 60 km and the N79 road for 15 km. For its full length, a 5 m wide area has been reserved for a telecommunication artery.
Line specifics
The line has a surface area of 16 square kilometres (in comparison Charles de Gaulle International AirportCharles de Gaulle International Airport
Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport , also known as Roissy Airport , in the Paris area, is one of the world's principal aviation centres, as well as France's largest airport. It is named after Charles de Gaulle , leader of the Free French Forces and founder of the French Fifth Republic...
occupies 32 square kilometres), with an average width of 40 m. Platforms are 13 m wide, with a space between track centres of 4.2 m. The line was designed for a nominal speed of 300 km/h, with a minimum radius curve of 4,000 m (although 7 curves were made to a smaller radius, but no less than 3,200 m.)
In total, the line comprises 847 km of track. This is formed by UIC 60 (60.3 kg/m) rails placed in lengths of 288 m, welded in place (with certain segmented sections). The concrete sleepers of 2.41 m are formed of two blocks of concrete tied together by a metal strut. There are 1660 sleepers per kilometer.
Traction power is supplied by eight EDF
Électricité de France
Électricité de France S.A. is the second largest French utility company. Headquartered in Paris, France, with €65.2 billion in revenues in 2010, EDF operates a diverse portfolio of 120,000+ megawatts of generation capacity in Europe, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East and Africa.EDF is one of...
substations at 25 kV AC, 50 Hz
25 kV AC
The 25 kV Alternating current railway electrification system is commonly used in railways worldwide, especially for high-speed rail.-Overview:This electrification system is ideal for railways that cover long distances and/or carry heavy traffic...
. The catenary
Overhead lines
Overhead lines or overhead wires are used to transmit electrical energy to trams, trolleybuses or trains at a distance from the energy supply point...
is fed by a "feeder" cable in phase opposition, which is equivalent to a 50 kV supply and reinforces the available power, one trainset being able to draw up to 14 MW.
Signalling draws on high-frequency track circuits, signals being transmitted directly to the driver's console. There are lineside marker boards indicating the limits of each block section, but no signals as such.
Stations
The LGV Sud-Est serves the following stations:- Le CreusotGare du Creusot TGVThe Gare du Creusot TGV is a railway station on the LGV Sud-Est providing TGV high-speed train services to the town of Le Creusot, France. Opened 27 September 1981, the station is located outside the city in the town of Écuisses and is accessible by road....
- Mâcon-LochéGare de Mâcon-Loché TGVMâcon-Loché TGV is a railway station on the TGV Sud-Est located in the commune of Mâcon, France. The address is 142, Rue de Pouilly-Loché 71000 Mâcon. The station is a few kilometres from the neighbouring town of Loché...
- Lyon Part-DieuGare de Lyon-Part-DieuGare de la Part-Dieu is the primary railway station in Lyon, France. It is situated on the Lyon–Geneva railway.This zone is served by the metro line and -History:...
Le-Creusot and Mâcon-Loché are basic-looking stations situated away from built-up areas. They have two side platforms and four tracks, the two central tracks being reserved for through trains, the side tracks serving for stopping trains.
Costs
| Item | Cost, nominal (in 1984 French franc French franc The franc was a currency of France. Along with the Spanish peseta, it was also a de facto currency used in Andorra . Between 1360 and 1641, it was the name of coins worth 1 livre tournois and it remained in common parlance as a term for this amount of money... s) |
Cost, real (in 2007 Euros) |
|---|---|---|
| Construction of superstructure and infrastructure | 7.85 billion | 2.0 billion |
| Construction of superstructure and infrastructure, with land purchase | 8.5 billion | 2.15 billion |
| Rolling stock | 5.3 billion | 1.35 billion |
| Total | 13.8 billion | 3.5 billion |
From 1996, the LGV Sud-Est received track renewal at a cost of FRF 2 billion, or about €300 million.
History
- 10 July 1967: SNCFSNCFThe 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...
research management launches project C 03 on high speed, titled "Rail Transport Possibilities through New Infrastructure" - 26 March 1971: approval of new line project by inter-ministerial committee
- 23 March 1976: declaration of public utilityDéclaration d'utilité publiqueA Déclaration d'utilité publique, or declaration of public utility, is a formal recognition that a proposed project has public benefits. Many large construction projects in France, especially relating to infrastructure, must achieve DUP before work can begin....
, the decree being signed by Jacques ChiracJacques ChiracJacques René Chirac is a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. He previously served as Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988 , and as Mayor of Paris from 1977 to 1995.After completing his studies of the DEA's degree at the...
, prime minister - 7 December 1976: works commence at ÉcuissesÉcuissesÉcuisses is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
(Saône-et-LoireSaône-et-LoireSaône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
) - 14 June 1979: first rails laid near MontchaninMontchaninMontchanin is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
(Saône-et-LoireSaône-et-LoireSaône-et-Loire is a French department, named after the Saône and the Loire rivers between which it lies.-History:When it was formed during the French Revolution, as of March 4, 1790 in fulfillment of the law of December 22, 1789, the new department combined parts of the provinces of southern...
) - 20 November 1980: track laying ends (ClunyClunyCluny or Clungy is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France. It is 20 km northwest of Mâcon.The town grew up around the Benedictine Cluny Abbey, founded by Duke William I of Aquitaine in 910...
) - 22 September 1981: inauguration of first section (Saint-Florentin-Sathonay) to MontchaninMontchaninMontchanin is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne in eastern France.-References:*...
by President of the Republic, François MitterrandFrançois MitterrandFrançois Maurice Adrien Marie Mitterrand was the 21st President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra, serving from 1981 until 1995. He is the longest-serving President of France and, as leader of the Socialist Party, the only figure from the left so far elected President... - 26 February 1981: trainset no. 16 (TGV Sud-Est) breaks the world record for rail speed at 380 km/h between Courcelles-Frémois (Côte-d'Or) and Dyé (Yonne) in a gradually descending portion of the line
- 27 September 1981: commercial service begins
- 25 September 1983: service begins on northern section (Combs-la-VilleCombs-la-VilleCombs-la-Ville is a commune in the south-eastern suburbs of Paris, in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France in north-central France...
- Saint-FlorentinSaint-FlorentinSaint-Florentin is the name of 2 communes in France:* Saint-Florentin, Indre, in the Indre département* Saint-Florentin, Yonne, in the Yonne département, chief town of the canton of Saint-Florentin...
) - 31 August 1992: derailment at 270 km/h of TGV in Macon-Loché station; several waiting passengers on the platform are slightly injured by flying ballast
- 13 December 1992: service begins on northern section of LGV Rhône-AlpesLGV Rhône-AlpesThe LGV Rhône-Alpes is a 115 km-long French high-speed rail line situated in the Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opening to service in 1994, this line bypasses the built-up Lyon area towards the east, and in addition serves Satolas station, now renamed...
(from MontanayMontanayMontanay is a commune in the Rhône department in eastern France....
to Saint-Quentin-FallavierSaint-Quentin-FallavierSaint-Quentin-Fallavier is a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France.-References:*...
) - 26 May 1994: service begins on LGV Interconnexion Est (connection with LGV NordLGV NordThe LGV Nord is a French 333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille....
) - March 1996: beginning of line renovation works (replacement of ballast and points, works designed to last until 2006)
- 2 June 1996: service begins at the junction with Villeneuve-Saint-GeorgesVilleneuve-Saint-GeorgesVilleneuve-Saint-Georges is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:Villeneuve-Saint-Georges is served by two stations on Paris RER line D: Villeneuve – Triage and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.-Demography:-International...
by the CoubertCoubertCoubert is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-External links:* * *...
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