LGV Picardy
The LGV Picardie is a French high-speed line currently being planned between Paris and Calais via Amiens .
When the LGV Nord was planned, the residents of the city of Amiens in the Picardy region fought for the route to pass through Amiens. The SNCF decided that the new high-speed line should run via Lille on the longer route, which would also allow the section between Paris and Lille to be used for train services from Paris to Brussels. The SNCF approved the construction of the TGV Haute-Picardie station , near the town of Péronne . However, the critics felt that this was a station on the greenfield of no great importance, since the larger cities in the region, Amiens and Saint-Quentin, had no direct connection to the station.
For LGV Picardie, the LGV Interconnexion Est is to be extended by about five kilometers to the north, where it branches off onto the old route towards Creil , from where routes to Amiens and Maubeuge begin. The old line is to be upgraded for higher speeds.
To the east of the Calais-Fréthun train station , the LGV Picardie was supposed to re-line the existing route. 20 minutes would be saved on the route between Paris and Calais or London , making it possible to travel the connection from Paris to London in less than 2 hours. Another advantage would be the relief of LGV Nord.
The French government has announced its plans for future investments through 2020. No financial resources are currently available for LGV Picardie for these investments. The line is to be built in the longer term, probably after 2020. The costs are expected to amount to almost 4 billion euros.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ [1] Report in the Railway Gazette International