Accelerator boost for the Lyon-Bordeaux train

The City and Metropolitan Area of Lyon will take a stake in the railway cooperative Railcoop to accelerate the implementation of the Lyon-Bordeaux train line.

This is a project that is close to the hearts of many travelers. The Lyon-Bordeaux railway line was established in 1871 and allowed service to areas including the Massif Central, but only in segments rather than as a continuous journey. This meant you could travel from Coutras to Tulle, from Périgueux to Limoges, from Saint-Sulpice-Laurière to Montluçon, from Clermont-Ferrand to Saint-Just-sur-Loire, and from Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons to Lyon.  

In the past, two routes were possible: the first passing through Clermont-Ferrand was discontinued in 2008, and the second via Limoges was discontinued in 2012. This is where Railcoop, the cooperative, comes into play, leveraging the opening of the rail transport market to competition to revive certain train lines and accelerate ecological transition by reducing car travel.

The main project is to restore the Lyon-Bordeaux line, which was stopped in 2014. Planned for reactivation in summer 2022, Railcoop’s plan has already gathered 13,000 members and raised 8 million euros to date. However, this is still not enough, particularly to finance the purchase of equipment, which remains the core issue.

A departure in 2024?

In this context, the Métropole and the City of Lyon have become shareholders in Railcoop, with a combined investment of 100,000 euros. “Beyond financial support, this dual commitment aims to promote and lend credibility to a railway project of general interest: the revival of a cross-regional passenger connection Bordeaux-Lyon via Limoges, abandoned since late 2012 by SNCF”, specifies the Lyon Metropolitan Authority.

This strengthening could enable the project to materialize by 2024, including the purchase of eight used train sets to ensure a complete Lyon-Bordeaux service with multiple daily trips. The first segment would then connect Lyon to Limoges.

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