LGV Rhône-Alpes
| Company type | High-speed rail line |
|---|---|
| Industry | Rail transport |
| Founded | 1989 |
| Headquarters | Lyon , France |
Area served | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, France |
| Products | High-speed rail transportation |
The LGV Rhône-Alpes (French: Ligne à Grande Vitesse) constitutes a high-speed railway line located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of France, extending the LGV Sud-Est towards the south. Commissioned in 1994, this route circumvents the heavily populated Lyon metropolitan area on its eastern side and provides access to the strategically significant Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV station (previously known as Satolas TGV station). Past Valence TGV station, it links directly with the LGV Méditerranée. Collectively, the LGVs Rhône-Alpes, Sud-Est, and Méditerranée create the "City To Coast (C2C) Highway" ("Ville à la Mer"), a vital high-speed corridor that improves transit between major cities and coastal zones.
The construction was completed in two stages, with the northern segment inaugurated in time for the 1992 Winter Olympics held in Albertville, highlighting its importance in facilitating large-scale events and regional growth.
Route
Running from north to south, the line passes through four departments: Ain, Rhône, Isère, and Drôme.
Covering , it stretches from Montanay to Saint-Quentin-Fallavier over , and then continues from Saint-Quentin-Fallavier to Valence across . At Saint-Quentin-Fallavier, connections to the conventional rail network enable access to Savoie, Isère, and onward to Italy via Chambéry and Modane.
Line specifics
The railway occupies an area approximately equal to that of Lyon-Saint-Exupéry Airport and is designed for high-speed travel. The initial section supports maximum speeds of up to , featuring a minimum curve radius of and track centers spaced at ; the subsequent segment accommodates speeds reaching .
Key infrastructure comprises 10 significant viaducts totaling in length and 4 tunnels with a combined length of . Train operations and safety are continuously managed by the Central Train Command (Commande centralisée des trains, CCT) located in Lyon.
Stations
There is one newly constructed station on this line: Gare de Lyon Saint-Exupéry, situated in Colombier-Saugnieu. This station, serving the Lyon–Saint-Exupéry Airport, was designed by renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava and stands out for its distinctive architectural style.
History
- 28 October 1989: Official declaration of public utility
- 13 December 1992: Launch of service on the 42 km segment between Montanay and Saint-Quentin-Fallavier
- 3 July 1994: Commencement of operations on the 73 km stretch from Saint-Quentin-Fallavier to Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence
- 3 July 1994: Opening ceremony of Gare de Lyon-Saint-Exupéry TGV
- 7 June 2001: Inauguration of LGV Méditerranée, extending the line further south