France is ready to invest EUR 130 million in the detailed study on the Lyon-Turin rail link and has submitted a request for EUR 90 million in funding to the European Commission.
Paris had a deadline of 30 January 2024 (Tuesday) to submit to Brussels an application for co-financing of the detailed feasibility study of the French section of the Lyon-Turin rail link. Not only did the French state meet this deadline (albeit at the last minute, on the very last day), but it also reiterated its commitment to invest EUR 85 million, with an additional EUR 45 million from the local authorities.
If the funding application to the European Commission is validated by June, it will allow an additional EUR 90 million to be added to bring the total amount of EUR 220 million needed for the study.
“This is another major milestone that has been reached for the full realisation of the link. This strong signal was expected by Italy and the whole of Europe,” reacted Jacques Gounon, president of the Comité pour la Transalpine.
Lyon-Turin rail link to cost EUR 8 billion
For the time being, the French section of the Lyon-Turin link and the Contournement Ferroviaire de l’Agglomération Lyonnaise (CFAL) project are still at the preliminary stage, which has enabled the technical feasibility of the main lines to be defined. The study which will be carried out next aims to define the projects in detail, in terms of technical, economic and environmental aspects. It will also be possible to plan the various phases of the work, such as the construction of around 100 km of new line from Lyon to the entrance to the tunnel now being bored through the Alps, and the Lyon rail belt.
The final cost of the European transalpine rail link project is estimated at EUR 8 billion, of which 50% is eligible for non-reimbursable European funding. Of the total traffic on this link, 80% will be dedicated to rail freight, allowing 26 million tonnes of freight to be carried per year on 162 trains per day. This will allow the equivalent of one million lorries to be transferred from road to rail each year.
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