The new Montpellier-Perpignan rail line will not only play a strategic role in the economic development, mobility and regional train service in Languedoc-Roussillon, but will also be a part of the construction of the Trans-European network for passenger and freight traffic. In addition, the project has been designed to meet the objectives of the Grenelle Environmental Agreement for the Languedoc-Roussillon region, which basically means reducing energy needs and promoting sustainable economic growth.
Estimated at a cost of EUR 5.5 billion, the line will fill in the gap between the Nîmes-Montpellier bypass to the north and the Perpignan-Figueras (Spain) to the south.
The line is part of the programme of major national railway projects carried out by SNCF Réseau, the rail infrastructure manager in France.
Because it has a strong cross-border dimension, the new Montpellier-Perpignan project responds to the wish of France and the European Union’s to create a European network that is equally structuring and efficient, both for high-speed passenger transport and freight.
In doing so, the Languedoc-Roussillon region becomes a crossroads at the intersection of the lines from West to East, to southern Europe, Spain and Italy with the Mediterranean Arc and to northern Europe, via Nîmes and Lyon. The new line Montpellier-Perpignan is part of the Scandinavian-Mediterranean rail Corridor.
Work on the Montpellier-Perpignan rail line is not expected to start until 2020, following public consultation beginning 2015. However, the preliminary high-speed route and station locations have been approved by the French transport ministry in February 2016.
The project for the new Montpellier-Perpignan line will involve the creation of an infrastructure which is designed for both passenger and freight transport (mixed traffic rail line) from Montpellier to Béziers and from Rivesaltes to Perpignan (second segment is not yet confirmed) and dedicated to passenger transport from Béziers to Rivesaltes.
In addition, two new railway stations will be created for this project – one to the east of Béziers and the other to the west of Narbonne. The new line will also make regional mobility easier thanks to an increased number of TER trains.
Moreover, the new line will contribute to the development of freight traffic as an alternative to road transport along the Nîmes and Montpellier bypass and the Perpignan-Barcelona international segment. Finally, this line will support the creation of a Trans-European network and an extensive and effective high-speed Trans-European and interregional network. The new line will especially be part of the Mediterranean Arc connecting Spain to Italy and, at the same time, will allow passengers to reach northern Europe with the help of the high-speed trains (via Nîmes and Lyon).
The new line has a length of 155 km between Montpellier and Perpignan and will facilitate the connection of 55 cities and 3 State departments.
The project to build a new line between Montpellier and Perpignan is supported by SNCF Réseau, the State and many local government authorities such as Languedoc-Roussillon region, Aude and Pyrénées-Orientales departments and the Metropolitan areas of Montpellier, Agde, Béziers, Narbonne, Carcassonne and Perpignan.
The growing demand for mobility is one of the major challenges for the development of the territory for the next 25 years. In order to accompany this continuous development and to face the social, economic and environmental challenges of tomorrow, the new Montpellier-Perpignan project is a real project for the future of people and the territories it crosses.
This article was published in the June issue of the Railway PRO Magazine that analyses the latest and most important railway projects around the world.
by Elena Ilie
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