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Perpignan - Barcelona - in 55 minutes
Perhaps the most important railway news, which will improve journey times a lot, is the new TGV line from Perpignan to Figueras in Spain. This line built to the UIC standard gauge and not the Spanish broad gauge will open on the 19th February 2009. The tunnels piercing the Pyrenees will be finished in late March 2007. Once services start we’re promised a 55-minute high-speed journey from Perpignan to Barcelona.
... and then on to Madrid
The new high speed line in Spain from Madrid to Llerida just about to be extended to Tarragona later this month of December this line also to the UIC (Union International de Chemins de Fer) gauge will be extended to Barcelona very soon.
For those who like a restful journey by train, the good news is that the Spanish railway builder Talgo is building half of these new high-speed trains, which are very comfortable.
The state of France's railways
Our region Languedoc Roussillon is, according to tables just published in ‘La Vie du Rail’, fast moving to the top of the Regions investing more and more in their regional trains the Trains Express Regionals TER. These investment decisions were transferred from central government and SNCF to the regions some years ago and it is now a matter of the regions putting your money where their mouth is.
Whereas it is a commonly held belief that French Railways is all good and British Railways is all indifferent, this is far from the truth. Away from the successful TGVs lines, the rest of the network is in trouble with derailments, trains falling off lines due to very poor and low maintenance and freight system in deep deficit.
This state of affairs is of no interest to the French media, indeed apart from when there is a strike and when they are going to open a new TGV line, the media does not cover rail stories. So bad are some cross country and branch lines, that trains are restricted to as little as 10km per hour.
Such speed limits apply to the line to the resort of Luchon at the foot of the Pyrenées. A similar story for the line to Lourdes, where the archbishop has taken SNCF to task for failing to keep their numerous pilgrim trains on time which arrive from within France and Italy and an apparent a lack of interest in the quality of service.
Good news on the horizon
However the good news is that progress in our region is to be seen starting with new trains being delivered to the Little Train Jaune from Vernet up to Font Romieu and La Tour en Carol. And since this autumn improved services on the single line from Béziers north to Bédarieux along the British built line and on to Millau and Neussargues. Our region has, from a railway enthusiast point of view, a very interesting history resulting in electrified lines north up and over the mountains, with other cross-country line using just diesel with trunk lines, which carries very heavy passenger, TGV Corail Teoz and TER trains.
Fewer lorries on the A9
If you're really fed up with the sight of ever increasing numbers of heavy lorries pounding along the A9 motorway, then the new freight service between Perpignan to Luxembourg called a ferroutage, lorries on trains, will start next spring with a daily service and all being well being extended to up to seven trains a day.
Making Languedoc's TGV even faster
At the same time, the region and government have given the OK to the TGV deviation around Nimes and Montpellier, the technical preparatory work is now underway. This will then leave the stretch between Montpellier to Perpignan continue along the slow route via the coast to Perpignan, the tracé for this route has been agreed but no date for the work to start has been agreed.
For the commuters around Ales and Nimes, work has started on the viaduct, which will end the practice of reversing all the trains that arrive from Ales and further north in the Cevennes.
London - Languedoc - about to get even faster
Outside of our region 2007 will be a vintage year with the opening in June of the 300 km plus line from Paris to Strasbourg, not exactly door to door and with the arrival of this line we will see the arrival for the first time the German Railway ICE type fast train a real évènement! This will be followed by in November of the new TGV line from London St Pancras to join the existing high speed line reducing journey time both to Paris and to Brussels.
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