French rail infrastructure manager, SNCF Réseau, confirmed that the 22 kilometer long Belfort-Delle line will become operational again in December 2018, thus facilitating the creation of a high-speed rail link between France and Switzerland. The line had been completely closed since 1992.
It will now provide a connection from the TGV rail station in Belfort-Montbéliard, France via Delémont towards Biel in Switzerland and further to the Rin-Rhône high-speed line. In addition, five intermediate stations will be reopened on this route, providing better local and cross-border transport on both sides of the border.
Works on the EUR 110 million worth project began in September 2015 and involved the reconstruction and electrification of the railway line. Works are currently developed to build a new electrified line. It is expected that these works will be completed by the summer of 2018, when the line testing operations will be launched.
Upon completion, the journey time between Belfort and Delle will be 25 minutes, while the Belfort city center will be linked to the TGV station in just 10 minutes. A 1h43min travel time is expected for the Belfort-Biel route.
The project is funded by the Franche-Comté region (with EUR 43.8 million), the Swiss Confederation (with EUR 24.7 million), the French State (EUR 23 million), the Belfort City Council (EUR 5 million), SNCF Réseau (with an allocation of EUR 4 million), the Jura Canton (EUR 3.2 million), European Union funds (worth EUR 3.1 million), The Belfortaine Community (EUR 2.5 million) and the Southern Territories Community (EUR 500,000).
Photo: works in Belfort rail station, France
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