The LGV Rhône-Alpes (French: ''Ligne à Grande Vitesse''; English: high-speed line) is a French

high-speed rail High-speed rail (HSR) is a type of rail transport network utilising trains that run significantly faster than those of traditional rail, using an integrated system of specialised rolling stock and dedicated railway track, tracks. While there is ...

line situated in the

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes (; AURA) or ; or ; . is a Regions of France, region in southeast-central France created by the 2014 territorial reform of French regions; it resulted from the merger of Auvergne and Rhône-Alpes. The new region came into e ...

region which extends the LGV Sud-Est southwards. Opened to service in 1994, the line bypasses the built-up

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

area towards the east; in addition it serves Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV station (known until June 2000 as Satolas TGV station). Beyond Valence TGV station the line is continued by the LGV Méditerranée. LGVs Rhône-Alpes, Sud-Est and Méditerranée, when completed, received their official nickname, the ''City To Coast (C2C) Highway'' ("Ville à la Mer"). The line was constructed in two sections, north and south. The first section was opened in time for the

1992 Winter Olympics The 1992 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XVI Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Albertville '92 (Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile '92''), were a winter multi-sport event held from 8 to 23 February 1992 in and aroun ...

Albertville Albertville (; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Arbèrtvile'') is a Subprefectures in France, subprefecture of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Southeastern France. It is best k ...

Route

The line crosses four departments from north to south: Ain,

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; Occitan language, Occitan: ''Ròse''; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Rôno'') is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and Southeastern France before dischargi ...

Isère Isère ( , ; ; , ) is a landlocked Departments of France, department in the southeastern French Regions of France, region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes. Named after the river Isère (river), Isère, it had a population of 1,271,166 in 2019.

and

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.

. The route of the new line represents a total length of ; from Montanay to

Saint-Quentin-Fallavier Saint-Quentin-Fallavier is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department, and the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region, in southeastern France. Geography Saint-Quentin Fallavier is located in Isère, a ...

, and from Saint-Quentin-Fallavier to Valence. The line is connected to the regular network by links at Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, enabling links to

Savoie Savoie (; Arpitan: ''Savouè'' or ''Savouè-d'Avâl''; English: ''Savoy'' ) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, Southeastern France. Located in the French Alps, its prefecture is Chambéry. In 2019, Savoie had a population o ...

and

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

via

Chambéry Chambéry (, , ; Franco-Provençal, Arpitan: ''Chambèri'') is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of the Savoie Departments of France, department in the southeastern ...

and

Modane Modane (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Savoie Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in southeastern France. The commune is in the Maurienne Valley, and it also belongs to the Vanoise ...

Line specifics

The line has a surface area of (in comparison Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport occupies the same area). Like the LGV Sud-Est, the line was designed for a nominal speed of , with a minimum curve radius of , and a space between track centres of . The second section is designed for . The line includes 10 large viaducts (total length ), and 4 tunnels (total length ). A command post named CCT (Commande centralisée des trains - Central Train Command) enables the continual monitoring of trains running on the entire line and to remotely control security installations. It is situated in Lyon, in an SNCF building near the gare de Perrache.

Stations

The line comprises one new station: Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry, situated in the commune of Colombier-Saugnieu. This station, with its striking architecture, is the work of the Spanish architect

Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...

. It serves the Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport.

History

* 28 October 1989: declaration of public utility * 13 December 1992: service begins on 42 km first section between Montanay and

* 3 July 1994: service begins on 73 km second section between

and Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence * 3 July 1994: inauguration of Gare de Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV * 7 June 2001: inauguration of LGV Méditerranée extending this line southwards

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lgv Rhone-Alpes Rhone-Alpes Railway lines opened in 1994

Route

Line specifics

Stations

History

See also

References