LGV Méditerranée

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SNCF LGV Méditerranée

TGV TGV LGV Sud-Est TGV LGV Atlantique TGV LGV Rhône-Alpes TGV LGV Nord TGV LGV Méditerranée TGV LGV Est

TER   Alsace   Nord-Pas de Calais   Haute Normandie   Picardie   Champagne Ardenne   Lorraine   Basse Normandie   Bretagne   Centre   Bourgogne   Franche Comté   Pays de la Loire   Poitou-Charentes   Limousin   Auvergne   Rhône Alpes   Aquitaine   Midi Pyrénées   Languedoc Roussillon   Provence Alpes-Côte-d'Azur   Corse

SNCF Île-de-France/Transilien   Est   Nord   Saint-Lazare   Montparnasse   Paris-Lyon

RER   line A   line D   line B   line E   line C

LGV Méditerranée

Legend Connection to LGV Rhône-Alpes Valence–Grenoble line 495.46 Valence TGV Tunnel d'Eurre (664 m) 524.53 Connection to Briançon–Livron line Briançon–Livron line Viaduc de la Drôme (190 m) Bridge over the Drôme 531.06 Viaduc de la Grenette (947 m) 532.83 Tunnel de Tartaiguille (2340 m) 570.21 Viaduc de la Garde-Adhémar (325 m) Bridge over the Donzère Canal 577.65 Connection to Lyon–Avignon line Lyon–Avignon line 589.21 Viaduc de Mondragon (637 m) Bridge over the Rhône 590.36 Viaduc de Mornas (887 m) Bridge over the Rhône Viaduc de l'Aigues (186 m) Bridge over the Eygues 609.30 Viaduc de Roquemaure (680 m) Bridge over the Rhône Viaduc de Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas (533 m) Bridge over the Rhône Tunnel de Saint-Geniès-de-Comolas (256 m) 618.15 Triangle junction with Nîmes branch Avignon–Nîmes line 622.38 Viaducs d'Avignon (1573 m) Bridge over the Rhône 625.16 Avignon TGV 626.59 Avignon covered section (1300 m) 636.91 Viaduc de Bonpas (356 m) 637.27 Tunnel de Bonpas (303 m) 646.60 Viaduc de Cavaillon (1500 m) Bridge over the Durance Avignon–Miramas line 650.56 Viaduc de Cheval-Blanc (994 m) Bridge over the Durance 653.85 Viaduc d'Orgon (942 m) Bridge over the Durance 669.02 Viaduc de Vernègues (1210 m) 670.71 Tunnel de Lambesc (440 m) Viaduc sur la Touloubre (372 m) 688.23 Viaduc de Ventabren (1730 m) 692.40 Viaduc de l'Arc (416 m) 699.14 Aix-en-Provence TGV Bellepeire covered section (400 m) Tunnel de Pennes-Mirabeau (1350 m) 706.20 Tunnel de Marseille (7834 m) Saint-André covered section (490 m) {{BSkm|711.16|853.01}} Junction with line to Marseille 862.05 Marseille-Saint-Charles

LGV Méditerranée (Nîmes branch)
Legend {{BSkm|618.15|0.0}} Triangle junction with main line Avignon–Nîmes line 10.98 Viaduc de la Roubine (270 m) Bridge over the Roubine 18.38 Viaduc du Gardon (212 m) Bridge over the Gardon 25.06 Junction with the Avignon–Nîmes line

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 therefore to Lyon and the north of France. Although construction cost rose to €3.8 billion, the commencement of service on this line has led to a reversal of the respective airplane and train markets; by making Marseille reachable in three hours from Paris (a distance of over 750 km), the train now handles two thirds of all journeys.

Contents 1 Route 2 Stations 3 Controversy 4 Journey times 4.1 From Paris 4.2 Interregional 5 See also 6 External links

[edit] Route

The LGV Méditerranée begins at Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence, as the extension of the LGV Rhône-Alpes. The new Gare de Valence TGV lies at the interchange with the regular Valence-Grenoble line, allowing rapid connections towards Valence, Romans-sur-Isère and Grenoble. At Crest, an emergency link is provided to the Briançon-Loriol line. The LGV then approaches the Rhône, rejoining the A7 autoroute at Montélimar. After having crossed the Canal de Donzère-Mondragon, the line connects to the regular network by an emergency link situated between Pierrelatte and Lapalud.

Spanning the Rhône three times (twice at Mornas, once north of Roquemaure), the LGV continues to Angles, where a triangle allows access to the southwest and southeast. The southwest branch is generally thought of as the beginning of the future LGV Languedoc-Roussillon, joining the regular Avignon-Nîmes line 25 km later at Redessan. The southeast branch crosses the Rhône on two parallel viaducts and serves the new Avignon-TGV station. The line then follows the Durance which it crosses at Orgon.

At Ventabren, a 1.73 km viaduct extends across the A8 autoroute, the D10 and the Canal de Provence. The line then dives towards the south, serving the new Aix-en-Provence-TGV station, traverses the 8 km long Tunnel de Marseille and re-joins the regular network at the entry to Marseille.

[edit] Stations

• Gare de Valence TGV at Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence; a unique two-level station (below, TGVs; above, TERs) which allows rapid connections towards Valence, Grenoble and Romans-sur-Isère
• Gare Avignon TGV south of Avignon; its proximity to the city centre has ensured its popularity
• Gare Aix-en-Provence TGV near the Réaltor reservoir, halfway between Aix-en-Provence and Marseille Airport; this station has proved more popular than expected and serves the north of the Marseille area. It is also recommended by agents for ships in Fos-Lavera-Port de Bouc, in preference to Marseilles.

[edit] Controversy

• Numerous protests, particularly from the wine growers of the Rhône valley, obliged President Mitterrand to ask for alterations to the route; the original path keeping to the left bank of the river, the final route skirting the river and crossing it four times
• The nearly 250 km long line has no regularly used connection to the classic network (unless one considers the southwest branch as a connector). Numerous connections had however been proposed:
  • a link at Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence between the LGV (southwards) and the regular line (eastwards), accompanied by the electrification of the Valence-Grenoble line. This would have permitted direct connections between Grenoble and the Mediterranean; instead, passengers travelling between Marseille and Grenoble must change at Valence-TGV. Another link from the LGV (southwards) to the regular line (towards Valence) would have enabled service to Valence central station from the south
  • a link at Roquemaure from the north towards Avignon would not only have enabled service to Avignon central station, but would have enabled faster service for Arles. A link south of Avignon would equally have permitted the linking of Avignon central station with Marseille in 25 minutes
  • the regular use of the existing link at Pierrelatte would have enabled rapid service to Orange from the north, as well as Avignon and Arles, given that no link was created at Roquemaure
  • a link at Orgon with the Avignon-Miramas line via Cavaillon would have enabled service to Salon-de-Provence, Miramas and Istres from the north
• Montélimar wanted a TGV station
• Aix-en-Provence wanted its TGV station more eastwards, closer to the town centre.

[edit] Journey times

[edit] From Paris

• Paris-Saint-Exupéry International Airport 1:50
• Paris-Valence 2:16
• Paris-Avignon 2:40
• Paris-Aix en Provence 2:55
• Paris-Marseille 3:00
• Paris-Toulon 3:55
• Paris-Hyères 4:15
• Paris-Fréjus 4.40
• Paris-Nice 5.35
• Paris-Nimes 2:55
• Paris-Montpellier 3:15
• Paris-Béziers 4:03
• Paris-Perpignan 4:45

[edit] Interregional

• Lyon-Marseille 1:40
• Lyon-Toulouse 4.30
• Lille-Nice 7:09
• Metz-Nice 9:15
• Geneva-Marseille 3.30

[edit] See also

• High-speed rail
• TGV

[edit] External links

• High-speed rail lines site (in French)

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