The LGV Méditerranée (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: Mediterranean high-speed line) is a
French high-speed rail
High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail system that runs significantly faster than traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated tracks. While there is no single standard that applies worldwide, lines ...
line running between
Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence
Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence (, literally ''Saint-Marcel near Valence''; oc, Sant Marçau de Valença) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Population
Geography
The commune of Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence borders the cit ...
,
Drôme
Drôme (; Occitan: ''Droma''; Arpitan: ''Drôma'') is the southernmost department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Southeastern France. Named after the river Drôme, it had a population of 516,762 as of 2019. and
Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
,
Bouches-du-Rhône
Bouches-du-Rhône ( , , ; oc, Bocas de Ròse ; "Mouths of the Rhône") is a department in Southern France. It borders Vaucluse to the north, Gard to the west and Var to the east. The Mediterranean Sea lies to the south. Its prefecture and large ...
, also featuring a connection to
Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
,
Gard
Gard () is a department in Southern France, located in the region of Occitanie. It had a population of 748,437 as of 2019;[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (; or , ; commonly shortened to PACA; en, Provence-Alps-French Riviera, italic=yes; also branded as Région Sud) is one of the eighteen administrative regions of France, the far southeastern on the mainland. Its pref ...]
and
Occitanie Occitanie may refer to:
*Occitania, a region in southern France called ''Occitanie'' in French
*Occitania (administrative region)
Occitania ( ; french: Occitanie ; oc, Occitània ; ca, Occitània ) is the southernmost administrative region of ...
to the
LGV Rhône-Alpes
The LGV Rhône-Alpes (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: high-speed line) is a French high-speed rail line situated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opened to service in 1994, the line b ...
, and from there to
Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
and the north of France. Construction costs rose to €3.8 billion; the line entered service in June 2001 following an inauguration by President
Jacques Chirac
Jacques René Chirac (, , ; 29 November 193226 September 2019) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1995 to 2007. Chirac was previously Prime Minister of France from 1974 to 1976 and from 1986 to 1988, as well as Ma ...
. 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 —the train now handles two-thirds of all journeys on that route. LGVs Méditerranée, Rhône-Alpes and
Sud-Est, when completed, also received their official nickname, the ''City To Coast (C2C) Highway'' ("Ville à la Mer").
''Le Réseau ferroviaire, une réforme inachevée et une stratégie incertaine''
Cour des comptes 2008
Route
The LGV Méditerranée begins in the southeast at Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence
Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence (, literally ''Saint-Marcel near Valence''; oc, Sant Marçau de Valença) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Population
Geography
The commune of Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence borders the cit ...
, as the extension of the LGV Rhône-Alpes
The LGV Rhône-Alpes (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: high-speed line) is a French high-speed rail line situated in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opened to service in 1994, the line b ...
. The new Gare de Valence TGV
Gare de Valence TGV ( IATA: XHK) is a railway station in Valence, France which offers regular TGV services. The station, located in eastern Valence ( Alixan), is about ten kilometres north-east from the town centre, allowing through trains to pass ...
lies at the interchange with the regular Valence-Grenoble line, allowing rapid connections towards Valence, Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère (; Occitan: ''Rumans d'Isèra''; Old Occitan: ''Romans'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Geography
Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 in ...
and Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
. At Crest, an emergency link is provided to the Briançon-Loriol line. The LGV then approaches the Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
, rejoining the A7 autoroute
The A7 Autoroute, also known as l'autoroute du Soleil (English: the Motorway of the Sun) is a French motorway. It continues the A6 and links Lyon to Marseille. The autoroute du Soleil is long and forms part of European routes E15, E80, and ...
at Montélimar
Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; la, Acumum) is a town in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in north Provence, Southeastern France. It is the second-largest city in the department after Valence. In 2018, ...
. After crossing the Canal de Donzère-Mondragon
Canals or artificial waterways are waterways or engineered channels built for drainage management (e.g. flood control and irrigation) or for conveyancing water transport vehicles (e.g. water taxi). They carry free, calm surface flow u ...
, the line connects to the regular network by an emergency link situated between Pierrelatte
Pierrelatte (; oc, Pèiralata) is a Communes of France, commune in the Drôme Departments of France, department in southeastern France. Since the 1980s it hosts one of the biggest production plants of the enriched uranium existing in the world, u ...
and Lapalud.
Spanning the Rhône three times (twice at Mornas
Mornas (; oc, Mornats) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
Name
The settlement is attested as ''Morenatus'' in 822, ''Murenatis'' in 837 and ''Mornatz'' ca. 1178.
See also ...
, 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 a future LGV Languedoc-Roussillon, joining the regular Avignon-Nîmes line later at Redessan and since 2017 the LGV Nîmes-Montpellier. The southeast branch crosses the Rhône again on two parallel viaduct
A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide v ...
s and serves the new Avignon-TGV station, then follows the Durance
The Durance (; ''Durença'' in the Occitan classical norm or ''Durènço'' in the Mistralian norm) is a major river in Southeastern France. A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long. Its drainage basin is .[Orgon
Orgon (; ancient: ''Urgonum'', ''Castrum de Urgone'') is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Geography
Neighbouring villages and small towns include Les Baux-de-Provence, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence and Cavaillon. Or ...]
.
At Ventabren
Ventabren () is a commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône department in southern France.
Location
It is close to Aix-en-Provence, and only away from Coudoux and Velaux.
History
The villages dates back to 920-940 AD, when Guillaume I, Count of Pr ...
, a viaduct extends across the A8 autoroute
The A8 autoroute, also known as La Provençale, is a -long highway in France that runs between Aix-en-Provence and the A7 to the Côte d'Azur.
Route
The A8 is an extension of the A7 starting to the west of Aix-en-Provence at La Fare-les-Olivi ...
, the D10 and the Canal de Provence. The line then dives southward, serving the new Aix-en-Provence-TGV station, traverses the long Tunnel de Marseille and re-joins the regular network at the entry to Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
.
Stations
* Gare de Valence TGV
Gare de Valence TGV ( IATA: XHK) is a railway station in Valence, France which offers regular TGV services. The station, located in eastern Valence ( Alixan), is about ten kilometres north-east from the town centre, allowing through trains to pass ...
at Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence
Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence (, literally ''Saint-Marcel near Valence''; oc, Sant Marçau de Valença) is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Population
Geography
The commune of Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence borders the cit ...
; a unique two-level station (below, TGVs; above, TER
Ter or TER may refer to:
Places
* River Ter, in Essex, England
* Ter (river), in Catalonia
* Ter (department), a region in France
* Torre (river), (Slovene: ''Ter''), a river in Italy
* Ter, Ljubno, a settlement in the Municipality of Ljubno ob ...
s) which allows rapid connections towards Valence, Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
and Romans-sur-Isère
Romans-sur-Isère (; Occitan: ''Rumans d'Isèra''; Old Occitan: ''Romans'') is a commune in the Drôme department in southeastern France.
Geography
Romans-sur-Isère is located on the Isère, northeast of Valence. There are more than 50,000 in ...
* Gare d'Avignon TGV Gare is the word for "station" in French and related languages, commonly meaning railway station
Gare can refer to:
People
* Gare (surname), surname
* The Gare Family, fictional characters in the novel '' Wild Geese'' by Martha Ostenso
Places
* ...
south of Avignon; its proximity to the city centre has ensured its popularity. An enhancement to the station allowed it to be served by local services connecting to Avignon's central station, amongst others.
* Gare d'Aix-en-Provence TGV
Aix-en-Provence TGV is a high-speed railway station located in Cabriès, Bouches-du-Rhône, southern France. The station was opened in 2001 and is located on the LGV Méditerranée. The train services are operated by SNCF. It serves the city of ...
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 Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
. The station has a road connection to Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
, but no classic rail connection as with Valence TGV.
Controversy
* Numerous protests, particularly from well connected wine growers of the Rhône Valley
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
, made President Mitterrand force alterations to the route; the original path would have kept to the left bank of the river, while the final route skirts the river and crosses it four times, at a significantly higher cost.
* The nearly long line currently 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 permit direct connections between Grenoble
lat, Gratianopolis
, commune status = Prefecture and commune
, image = Panorama grenoble.png
, image size =
, caption = From upper left: Panorama of the city, Grenoble’s cable cars, place Saint- ...
and the Mediterranean; instead, passengers traveling between Marseille and Grenoble must change at Valence-TGV; with the Valence to Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
line through Grenoble now electrified, this link becomes more attractive and a connection is considered for the near-future; 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
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
would not only have enabled service to Avignon central station, but would have enabled faster service for Arles
Arles (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province of ...
. A link south of Avignon would equally have permitted the linking of Avignon central station with Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
in 25 minutes
** the regular use of the existing link at Pierrelatte would have enabled rapid service to Orange
Orange most often refers to:
*Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis''
** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower
*Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum
* ...
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
Salon-de-Provence (, ; oc, label= Provençal Occitan, Selon de Provença/Seloun de Provènço, ), commonly known as Salon, is a commune located about northwest of Marseille in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d' ...
, Miramas
Miramas (; oc, Miramàs) is a commune in France, commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône departements of France, department, in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur regions of France, region, southern France. It is the second-largest commune in metropolita ...
and Istres
Istres (; Occitan: Istre) is a commune in southern France, some 60 km (38 mi) northwest of Marseille. It is in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the Bouches-du-Rhône department, of which it is a subprefecture.
Location
Istr ...
from the north
* Montélimar
Montélimar (; Vivaro-Alpine: ''Montelaimar'' ; la, Acumum) is a town in the Drôme department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in north Provence, Southeastern France. It is the second-largest city in the department after Valence. In 2018, ...
wanted a TGV station. This would offer the advantage of being able to serve the town with TGV services travelling further south, but Montélimar is currently served by various TGV services leaving the high-speed line just before Valence TGV station.
* Aix-en-Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
wanted its TGV station more eastwards, closer to the town centre.
Journey times
From Paris
* Paris– Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport: 1:50
* Paris– Valence: 2:16
* Paris–Avignon
Avignon (, ; ; oc, Avinhon, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal or , ; la, Avenio) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Vaucluse Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regions of France, region of So ...
: 2:40
* Paris–Aix en Provence
Aix-en-Provence (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Ais de Provença in classical norm, or in Mistralian norm, ; la, Aquae Sextiae), or simply Aix ( medieval Occitan: ''Aics''), is a city and commune in southern France, about north of Marseille. ...
: 2:55
* Paris–Marseille
Marseille ( , , ; also spelled in English as Marseilles; oc, Marselha ) is the prefecture of the French department of Bouches-du-Rhône and capital of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region. Situated in the camargue region of southern Franc ...
: 3:07
* Paris–Toulon
Toulon (, , ; oc, label= Provençal, Tolon , , ) is a city on the French Riviera and a large port on the Mediterranean coast, with a major naval base. Located in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, and the Provence province, Toulon is th ...
: 3:55
* Paris–Hyères
Hyères (), Provençal Occitan: ''Ieras'' in classical norm, or ''Iero'' in Mistralian norm) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France.
The old town lies from the sea clustered around t ...
: 4:15
* Paris–Fréjus
Fréjus (; ) is a commune in the Var department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in Southeastern France. In 2019, it had a population of 54,458.
It neighbours Saint-Raphaël, effectively forming one urban agglomeration. The north of ...
: 4.40
* Paris–Nice
Nice ( , ; Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes department in France. The Nice agglomeration extends far beyond the administrative c ...
: 5.35
* Paris–Nîmes
Nîmes ( , ; oc, Nimes ; Latin: ''Nemausus'') is the prefecture of the Gard department in the Occitanie region of Southern France. Located between the Mediterranean Sea and Cévennes, the commune of Nîmes has an estimated population of 148,5 ...
: 2:55
* Paris–Montpellier
Montpellier (, , ; oc, Montpelhièr ) is a city in southern France near the Mediterranean Sea. One of the largest urban centres in the region of Occitania (administrative region), Occitania, Montpellier is the prefecture of the Departments of ...
: 3:15
* Paris–Béziers
Béziers (; oc, Besièrs) is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Hérault Departments of France, department in the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Regions of France, region of Southern France. Every August Béziers hos ...
: 4:03
* Paris–Perpignan
Perpignan (, , ; ca, Perpinyà ; es, Perpiñán ; it, Perpignano ) is the prefecture of the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France, in the heart of the plain of Roussillon, at the foot of the Pyrenees a few kilometres from the ...
: 4:45
Interregional
* Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
–Marseille: 1:40
* Lyon
Lyon,, ; Occitan: ''Lion'', hist. ''Lionés'' also spelled in English as Lyons, is the third-largest city and second-largest metropolitan area of France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of t ...
–Toulouse
Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Par ...
: 4:30
* London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
–Marseille: 6:28
* Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...
–Nice: 7:09
* Metz
Metz ( , , lat, Divodurum Mediomatricorum, then ) is a city in northeast France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers. Metz is the prefecture of the Moselle department and the seat of the parliament of the Grand E ...
–Nice: 9:15
* Geneva
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevra ; rm, Genevra is the List of cities in Switzerland, second-most populous city in Switzerland (after Zürich) and the most populous city of Romandy, the French-speaki ...
–Marseille: 3.30
See also
* TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
* High-speed rail in France
The first French high-speed rail line opened in 1981, between Paris's and Lyon's suburbs. The LGV Sud-Est was at that time the only high-speed rail line in Europe. As of June 2021, the French high-speed rail network comprises 2,800 km of ''L ...
References
External links
High-speed rail lines site (in French)
{{DEFAULTSORT:LGV Mediterranee
Mediterranee
Railway lines opened in 2001