Contournement Nîmes – Montpellier
| Company type | Public-private partnership |
|---|---|
| Industry | Railway infrastructure |
| Founded | June 2012 |
| Founder | SNCF Réseau, OC’VIA consortium |
| Headquarters | Nîmes , France |
Area served | Southern France, connecting to Spain |
| Products | High-speed rail line for passenger and freight transport |
| Owner | SNCF Réseau, OC’VIA consortium |
| Website | www |
The Contournement Nîmes – Montpellier (LGV Nîmes–Montpellier) represents a French high-speed rail line that circumvents the urban centers of Nîmes and Montpellier in Southern France. It is notable as the first French ligne à grande vitesse engineered to accommodate both passenger and freight transportation.
Created to enhance capacity, this line facilitates a 30% increase in regional train services alongside expanded freight operations, thereby shortening travel durations on domestic and international routes. It integrates with the Spanish railway system and the anticipated mixed-use LGV Montpellier–Perpignan high-speed corridor. The travel time between Montpellier and Paris has been reduced to less than three hours. In June 2012, SNCF Réseau entered into a 25-year public-private partnership agreement with the OC’VIA consortium, which is responsible for financing, designing, constructing, and maintaining the line.
Commercial freight operations commenced on 10 December 2017. Passenger services were inaugurated on 7 July 2018 at Montpellier Sud de France station, with full operation beginning on 15 December 2019 following the opening of Nîmes–Pont du Gard station.
Purpose
Originally initiated by SNCF Réseau and subsequently developed in collaboration with the OC’VIA consortium through a public-private partnership model, the Nîmes–Montpellier bypass involves partners such as Bouygues Construction, Colas, SPIE Batignolles, Alstom Transport, Meridiam infrastructure, and FIDEPPP. The project’s budget totals €2.28 billion and supports approximately 30,000 jobs.
The primary objectives include boosting regional train frequencies by 30%, decreasing travel times for both national and cross-border journeys, and expanding freight transport capabilities. This bypass links to Spain’s rail network via the Perpignan–Figueras connection and the Barcelona–Genoa corridor while facilitating a new high-speed route between Montpellier and Perpignan. It aims to eliminate nearly 3,000 trucks from roadways daily and double rail freight volumes within a decade.
This infrastructure forms part of Priority Project 3, designed to enhance rail connectivity between Portugal, Spain, and Europe. Essential elements involve extending France’s high-speed rail across Languedoc-Roussillon, establishing the Montpellier–Perpignan line, and creating a direct France-Spain link. Travel time from Montpellier to Paris is expected to be under three hours.
Organisation and financing
Following a déclaration d'utilité publique issued in 2005, three proposals were submitted by May 2009. In January 2012, a consortium led by Bouygues alongside Setec, Systra, and SGTE was awarded the contract to construct the railway for €2.06 billion. Funding combines public resources with private investment; OC’VIA contributes €1.5 billion privately. Public financial support is provided by the French government, Languedoc Roussillon Regional Council, local governments of Nîmes and Montpellier, Gard General Council, the European Union, and SNCF Réseau.
In June 2012, SNCF Réseau formalized a 25-year public-private partnership with OC’VIA covering financing, design, construction, and maintenance responsibilities. SNCF oversees regulation and operations while OC’VIA established two subsidiaries: Oc’Via Construction for design and construction phases and Oc’Via Maintenance for ongoing upkeep after commissioning. Construction commenced in late 2013 or early 2014 following completion of permits and land acquisition processes. The project was targeted for completion by December 2017 with passenger services beginning by July 2018. The LGV Montpellier–Perpignan extension linking to Spain’s high-speed rail network is not expected before after 2020.
Key contractors include TERRASOL conducting design studies; SYSTRA leading integrated project management with SETEC; Egis-group providing project management support. Société Générale serves as financial advisor, lead arranger, hedge provider, and security agent for OC’VIA.
Route
The initiative encompassed laying down of new railway tracks, featuring a high-speed segment between Manduel and Lattes, alongside a stretch running along the Rhône's right bank, plus an additional link connecting Jonquières, Lattes, and Manduel. Around 145 civil engineering structures were completed, including seven viaducts. Initially, the line supports a maximum speed of , with plans to raise this to for passenger services, while freight trains are permitted speeds up to . This route accommodates both TGV and cargo trains, providing a connection between the LGV Méditerranée and extending southwestward towards the LGV Perpignan–Figueres.
To accommodate the growing TGV traffic volume, two new stations were established: Montpellier Sud-de-France (originally named Montpellier Odysséum) and Nîmes-Pont-du-Gard (initially Nîmes Manduel-Redessan). Notably, their construction was overseen by RFF. These stations are integrated with the TER services and Montpellier’s tram system, having been completed in 2018 and 2019 respectively. The project’s total cost was approximately €280 million ($349.5 million), financed with 52% contributions from the European Union and France, 28% from regional and local governments, and 20% from SNCF Réseau.
The primary line extends over , supplemented by a freight branch west of the Rhône River and three connecting spurs linking existing rail lines at Jonquières, Lattes, and Manduel. The bypass is equipped with the European Rail Traffic Management System (ERTMS) Level 2 for signaling and traffic control, incorporating GSM-R communication technology; however, Automatic Block Signaling (BAL) is employed initially. Electrical power is delivered through a newly constructed substation at La Castelle. Maintenance activities are centralized in Nîmes through Oc’Via Maintenance’s operational and administrative hubs.