LGV the Mediterranean

LGV the Mediterranean , new line 5 (LN5) for the SNCF, is a railway line at French high speed of approximately 250 km, which prolongs LGV the Rhone-Alps of Saint-Marcel-the-Valence in Marseilles. It connects Lyon and the north of the France to the areas Provence-Alp-Coast of Azure and Languedoc-Roussillon.
The capital cost rose to 3,8 billion euros.
By putting Marseilles at three hours of Paris (for a distance of 750 km) and Nimes at two hours fifty, the startup of this line reversed the respective market shares of the plane and the train, this last ensuring from now on the two-thirds of displacements.

History

1996 : beginning of work
June 7th 2001: inauguration of the LGV the Mediterranean by the president Jacques Chirac
June 10th 2001: setting in business service

Layout

The LGV the Mediterranean starts with Saint-Marcel-the-Valence (Drome), where LGV the Rhone-Alps forks towards Valence-City. It immediately reaches the Gare of Valence-TGV, located at the crossing of the Ligne Valence - Moirans. On the level of Crest, a connection of help joined the Ligne Livron - Aspres. The LGV approaches the the Rhone then. It joined the highway A7 in the south of Montélimar. After having crossed the highway and the Channel of Donzère-Mondragon, the LGV is connected to the traditional network by a connection of help located between Pierrelatte and Lapalud. The LGV then twice crosses the the Rhone on the level of Mornas, then a third in the north of Roquemaure (Gard).

To the level of the Angles, a triangle connects the LGV the Mediterranean to what could be the embryo of future a LGV Languedoc-Roussillon : this branch of 21 km is connected to the traditional line Tarascon - Narbonne on the level of Manduel (to 9 km of Nimes). It was initially envisaged to prolong it until Lattes (to 6 km of Montpellier). But in order to reduce the final invoice, 60 km of way were removed in September 1995 project. Construction could take again at the end of 2008 and take the form of a mixed line TGV/Fret, which would sail round Montpellier, while waiting for the realization of a great southern transversal.

The principal branch of the LGV and the southern connection of the junction cross the Rhone by two Viaduc S twins and meet in Gare of Avignon TGV, in the south of the town of Avignon. The line follows then the Durance which it crosses with three recoveries between Cavaillon (Vaucluse) and Orgon (Rhone delta), then free while being directed south-eastern. With the height of Ventabren, a viaduct of 1730 m crosses the highway A8. The line pricks then towards the south, serves the Gare of Aix-en-Provence TGV, on the Aix-en-Provence road - Marignane, crosses the tunnel of the Warp ends-Mirabeau (8 km) and is connected to the traditional network at the entry of Marseilles.

Controversies on the layout

Of many protests, especially come from the vine growers of the Valley of the Rhone, obliged the president François Mitterrand to in person ask for a change of layout closer to the Rhone (the layout of origin of the line remained on left bank of the Rhone, whereas the finally selected layout skirts the Rhone and four times cross it)
This line of almost 250 km does not comprise any connection used in normal service (except if one regards the south-western branch as a connection); many connections were however proposed:

a connection with Saint-Marcel-the-Valence between the traditional line and the LGV towards the south, accompanied by an electrification of the line Valence - Grenoble would have allowed direct connections between Grenoble and the Mediterranean. Instead of that, the passengers travelling between Marseilles and Grenoble, for example, must change with Valence-TGV. Another connection with the same site, of the LGV (southern) to the traditional line (towards Valence) would have made it possible to stop at the central station of Valence since the South.
an opening to the regular service of the connection of service of Pierrelatte would make it possible more quickly to serve Orange since north, like Avignon and Arles considering no connection was created in Roquemaure.
a connection with Roquemaure since north towards Avignon would have not only made it possible to serve the central station, but also to serve Arles more quickly. A connection in the south of Avignon would have also made it possible to connect station TGV to the central station of Avignon, and this one with Marseilles in 35 minutes.
finally, a connection with Orgon with the Avignon Line - Miramas by Cavaillon would have made it possible to serve Living room-of-Provence, Miramas and Istres since north.
Montélimar would have liked a station TGV.
Aix-en-Provence would have liked to have its station TGV more in the east, nearer to the city centers.

New stations

Valence TGV with Saint-Marcel-the-Valence (16 km of the central station by the road). Single station in its kind, because on two levels: in bottom TGV, top FOR THE THIRD TIME). This station FOR THE THIRD TIME allows a rather fast correspondence by towards Romans - Borough-of-Toll and Grenoble, but also towards Gap via Die.
Avignon TGV in the south of Avignon (5 km of the central station). Shuttles by bus connect the station to the downtown area.
Aix-en-Provence TGV close to the tank of Réaltor, with 15 kilometers of Aix-en-Provence on the road of Marignane. This station has more travellers than awaited and serves the north of the Marseilles agglomeration.

Remarkable works

Because of its layout crossing a very marked relief, the LGV Med comprises a great number of works of Article Certains are remarkable by their dimensions and their method of construction. North in the south, one meets successively:

the tunnel of Tartaiguille (2340 m)
the double Bridge bowstring girder of the Guard-Adhémar (340 m)
twin bowstring girders of Mornas (889 m) and Mondragon (638 m)
the viaduct of Roquemaure (680 m)
the double viaduct of the Angles (1622 m)
three viaducts of Cavaillon (1500 m), Horse-White (900 m) and Orgon (942 m)
the viaduct of Vernègues (1416 m)
the viaduct of Ventabren (1730 m)
the viaduct of the Arc (308 m, beside the Aqueduct of Roquefavour)
the tunnel of the Warp ends-Mirabeau (7834 m, the longest tunnel entirely located in France)

On the Languedoc branch, one also finds:

the viaduct of Briançon.

Photographs

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