The project for the line between Lyon and Turin is in slow motion. Sixty parliamentarians therefore launched an appeal on Wednesday to the President of the Republic to speed up the construction of access roads to the rail tunnel linking the two cities, fearing that the project would be postponed beyond 2045 as recommended by the Orientation Council of infrastructure (IOC).
Signed by deputies and senators from both left and right like Bruno Retailleau (LR) or André Chassaigne (PCF), this cross-party appeal calls on Emmanuel Macron to “launch the detailed preliminary project studies as soon as possible ( APD) of the French section”.
57.5 km long, the tunnel should be delivered in 2032
Without this, beyond 2028, the project will no longer have a legal basis. “The declaration of public utility will not be extended” and this will make whole sections of the route linking Lyon to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne (Savoie), the entrance to the tunnel, “subject to strong land pressure “. “This would destroy the objectives of a massive modal shift on rail for passenger and freight traffic in the Alps”, warn the parliamentarians.
The tunnel, 57.5 km long and being dug, should be delivered in 2032. “Italy has taken the decisions to deliver its access roads to the work at the same time”, greet the elected officials who would like see France do the same.
Elected officials want “a powerful political impetus”
By postponing the French project beyond 2045 to favor the historic Dijon-Modane line, “the COI seriously jeopardizes the success of the largest European low-carbon mobility infrastructure for travelers and goods”, worry deputies. and senators. “France cannot afford to miss this historic meeting”, they warn, calling on Emmanuel Macron to give “a powerful political impetus in order to lift the politico-administrative burdens which are hindering this flagship program”.
On the Italian side, the construction of the tracks to link Turin to the tunnel should begin in June and the government has already released 750 million euros in funding. In France, if the route of the 150 kilometers of new tracks between Lyon and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne which will pass through tunnels under the mountainous massifs of Chartreuse and Belledonne has been recorded, the project is for the moment in progress. dead.
