LGV Est

LGV Est
Overview
System SNCF
Status Operational, partly under construction
Locale France (Île-de-France,
Champagne-Ardenne,
Lorraine, Alsace)
Termini near Vaires-sur-Marne
near Baudrecourt
Operation
Opened 2007 for Phase 1;
2016 for Phase 2 (planned)
Owner SNCF Réseau
Operator(s) SNCF
Technical
Line length 300 km (190 mi)
No. of tracks Double track
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 25 kV 50 Hz[1]
Operating speed 320 km/h (200 mph)
Route map
Legend
 Line from Paris Gare de l'Est
22.7
0
 Line to Strasbourg
10.1 LGV Interconnexion Est
38.3 Meaux – Reims
113.7 Champagne-Ardenne TGV
114.7 Épernay – Reims
from Châlons-en-Champagne
146.9 to Laon
147.8 to Verdun
213.5 Meuse TGV
 230.9 River Meuse(603 m)
270.6 Nancy – Metz
 Lorraine-Vandières TGV (proposed)
 271.7 River Moselle(1115 m)
 281.3 Lorraine TGV
from Metz
Baudrecourt junction
to Strasbourg
Line to Saarbrücken
from Nancy
 Saverne tunnel(±4000 m)
406 Line from Nancy
 Line to Strasbourg
French TGV network, with the LGV Est in brown running east from Paris

The LGV Est européenne (often shortened to LGV Est, Ligne à Grande Vitesse Est, French for "East High-Speed Railway Line") is an extension to the French high-speed rail network which currently connects Vaires-sur-Marne (near Paris) and Baudrecourt (near Metz and Nancy), and will in the future connect Vaires-sur-Marne and Vendenheim (near Strasbourg). 106 km (66 mi) is still under construction, and 300 km (190 mi) in service. The line provides fast services between Paris and the principal cities of eastern France and Luxembourg, as well as to several cities in Germany and Switzerland. It also enables fast connections between eastern France and other French regions already served by TGV, to the southeast, the west and southwest, and to the north, with extensions towards Belgium.

Route

The line passes through the French regions of Alsace, Lorraine, Champagne-Ardenne and Île-de-France. The first 300 km (190 mi) section of this new route, linking Vaires-sur-Marne near Paris to Baudrecourt in the Moselle, entered service on 10 June 2007. Constructed for speeds up to 350 km/h (220 mph), for commercial service it is initially operating at a maximum speed of 320 km/h (200 mph),[2] and was the fastest service in the world at average speed of 279.3 km/h (173.5 mph) between Lorraine and Champagne [3] until the Wuhan–Guangzhou High-Speed Railway opened in 2009. It is the first line in France to travel at this maximum speed in commercial service, the first to use ERTMS,[4] the new European rail signalling system and the first line also served by German ICE trains.[5][6] The second phase includes the 4,200-metre (13,800 ft) Saverne Tunnel.

Project

The construction of the new line has been split into two phases:

The full line was planned to open on 3 April 2016,[7] but that opening was delayed to July 3 by a major accident during testing of the line.[8] Until then, TGV runs between these two cities via the existing Metz-Strasbourg line at the 160 km/h normal speed for the line. On 2 September 2009, infrastructure manager RFF announced the tendering for the second phase. Financing was finalized on 1 September 2009, with a mix of sources ranging from the French and Luxembourgish governments, regional governments, the EU, and RFF.[9]

Journey times have decreased as follows:

From To Original Time First Phase Second Phase
Paris Strasbourg 4h 00 2h 20 1h 50
Paris Reims 1h 35 0h 45 -
Paris Sedan 2h 50 2h 00 -
Paris Charleville-Mézières 2h 30 1h 35 -
Paris Nancy 2h 45 1h 30 -
Paris Metz 2h 45 1h 25 -
Paris Luxembourg 3h 55 2h 05 -
Luxembourg Strasbourg 2h 10 - 1h 25
Paris Basel 4h 55 3h 20 -
Paris Zürich 5h 50 4h 35 -
Paris Frankfurt 6h 15 3h 50 3h 40
Paris Stuttgart 6h 10 3h 40 3h 10
Paris Saarbrücken 4h 00 1h 50 -

Besides the construction of the LGV, the project includes:

Cost

The total cost will be about €4 billion, apportioned as follows:

Controversy

The LGV Est was a subject of public debate for several reasons:

History

Construction

Earthworks for the first phase between Vaires-sur-Marne and Baudrecourt started in spring 2002. The contractors took three years to complete the earthworks and some 327 pieces of structural work as well as re-establishing communications for people and wildlife. Tracklaying and building the new stations started in 2004.

As the first infrastructure project of its kind to be declared a public utility by the Ministry of the Environment, the LGV Est is also the first railway to be financed largely by the French regions and the European Union (EU). The main contractor for the project is RFF (Réseau ferré de France), the state-owned company responsible for managing the French rail infrastructure.

Civil engineering works were distributed in eight contracts which were awarded after bidding by five companies: SNCF, ISL, Tractebel, Scétauroute and Setec. This is the first time there has been competition for the construction of a TGV line since reform of the rail system in 1997 and the involvement of RFF. SNCF Engineering, in partnership with EEG Simecsol succeeded in obtaining four of the contracts (including one for the second phase), this being 50% of the civil engineering project. Moreover, it directed the entire superstructure works project (track, signals and electrification) under the responsibility of Réseau Ferré de France.

The final weld of rails on the second phase took place on 31 March 2015 and was accompanied by a ceremony marking the end of construction of Phase 2, although work on signaling continues.[7] The line is planned to open on 3 July 2016.[8]

Inauguration of the first phase

Illustration of the alignment of the second phase of the LGV Est.

On 9 June 2007, the TGV Est made its inaugural voyage, leaving from the Gare de l'Est at 7:36am. Notable passengers included: François Fillon, the French Prime Minister, Alain Juppé, the Minister of Sustainable Development, and the Argentinian Ambassador to France. The Prime Minister hailed this event as "a beautiful symbol of the capacity of our country to innovate when it is united, a symbol of European France, of the knowledge of French businesses, and a symbol that gives confidence in the future." He hailed this achievement as "a union by train between France and its German, Luxembourgish, and Swiss partners, between the European institutions and the [French] capital."

On 10 June 2007, the first phase of the LGV Est opened for commercial service.

Timeline

This list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.

World speed record

A series of high speed trials, named Operation V150, were conducted on the LGV Est prior to its June 2007 opening using a specially modified train. The trials were conducted jointly by SNCF, TGV builder Alstom, and LGV Est owner Réseau Ferré de France between 15 January 2007 and 15 April 2007. Following a series of increasingly high speed runs, the official speed record attempt took place on 3 April 2007.[17][18] The top speed of 574.8 km/h (159.6 m/s, 357.2 mph) was reached at kilometre point 191 near the village of Le Chemin, between the Meuse and Champagne-Ardenne TGV stations, where the most favourable profile exists.

The 515.3 km/h speed record of 1990 was unofficially broken multiple times during the test campaign that preceded and followed the certified record attempt, the first time on 13 February 2007 with a speed of 554.3 km/h, and the last time on 15 April 2007 with a speed of 574.8 km/h.

See also

References

  1. ↑ RFF - Map of electrified railway lines PDF
  2. ↑ (French)http://www.lgv-est.com/rff-construit-la-lgv.php?pg=289
  3. ↑ Colin Taylor (September 2007). "TGV Est lifts the record" (PDF). Railway Gazette International.
  4. ↑ (French)http://www.rff.fr/pages/connaitre/fiche_communique.asp?code=135&lg=fr
  5. ↑ "Premiernfahrt nach Paris" (in German). Deutsche Bahn AG. Archived from the original on 2007-07-10. Retrieved 2007-12-06.
  6. ↑ Staff writer (2006). Die Bahn am Ball (in German). Deutsche Bahn AG. p. 96.
  7. 1 2 3 "LGV Est Phase 2 completed". Railway Gazette. 31 March 2015. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  8. 1 2 3 "La ligne à grande vitesse Paris-Strasbourg sera mise en service le 3 juillet". Le Monde. 20 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  9. ↑ http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/lgv-est-phase-2-tendering-gets-underway.html
  10. ↑ (French)http://www.lgv-est.com/les-actualites.php?ac=187&d=2006-11
  11. ↑ (French)http://www.lgv-est.com/les-actualites.php?ac=188&d=2006-11
  12. ↑ German news - Expatica
  13. ↑ http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/10/eu-allocates-ten-t-infrastructure-funds/browse/1.html
  14. ↑ "2001-02-01". Retrieved 2010-11-23.
  15. 1 2 "Saverne Tunnel holed through on LGV Est". Railway Gazette. 26 February 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2015.
  16. ↑ Bach, Christian; Poivret, Aurélien (14 November 2015). "Une rame d'essai d'un TGV se renverse et prend feu à Eckwersheim, près de Strasbourg : cinq morts". Dernieres Nouvelles D'Alsace (in French).
  17. ↑ Associated Press (3 April 2007). "French Train Hits 357 MPH Breaking World Speed Record". Fox News. Retrieved 2007-04-03.
  18. ↑ "Official 2007 Record Website". Retrieved 2007-04-03.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to LGV Est.
Africa
Asia
China
(Mainland)
(* Indicates overlap with conventional services)
Japan
South Korea
Taiwan
Turkey
Europe
Belgium
France
Germany
Italy
Netherlands
Norway
Spain
United Kingdom
North America
South America
This article is issued from Wikipedia - version of the Friday, March 25, 2016. The text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution/Share Alike but additional terms may apply for the media files.