LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire

Map of the LGV BPL

The LGV's situation in France

Between 1996 and 2001, French infrastructure manager Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) conducted preliminary studies into the potential construction of a 182 km (113 mi) extension of the LGV Atlantique's western branch, later known as LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire.[2] During 2005, the process of acquiring land along the intended route was started. On 30 October 2007, it was announced that the proposed line had been granted a Declaration of Public Utility, a sign of formal recognition by the French government and a necessary step for any major publicly funded construction programme in France; at the time, this envisioned line had a reported cost of around €2.5 billion and would achieve an estimated reduction in journey time of 37 minutes between Paris and Brittany over the conventional route being used at that time.[3][4] The proposal also become a recognised element of France's rail expansion strategy under the Grenelle Environnement initiative.[5]

On 29 July 2008, reports emerged that the broad financing for the line's construction had been agreed between the various bodies involved.[6] Under this arrangement, the French Government was reportedly set to contribute €990 million, which was to be matched by contributions from the regional government as well; the remaining €1.02 billion was to be provided out of RFF's own resources. By this point, it was being reported that the envisioned high speed line had an increased projected total cost of €3.4 billion, and that roughly 90 per cent of the land required for its construction had been already acquired.[6] The proposed LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire was personally highlighted by President Nicolas Sarkozy as one of four grand projects which were to be a recipient of funding under a national economic stimulus package that was issued by his government.[5]

During December 2008, an invitation to tender was issued for what was referred to as 'partnership contract' to construct LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire; the first round of bids were submitted by May 2009.[5][2] On 19 June 2009, RFF President Hubert du Mesniland announced that, following an assessment of the competing bids submitted, a total of three groups had been short-listed: a consortium led by Bouygues TP, Eiffage, and a consortium led by Vinci Concessions. By this point, RFF had provided the three selected groups with further technical documentation on the project, while the completion of the full consultation documents was still pending.[5] The final bids from the shortlisted firms were received in advance of 13 October 2009.[7][8] On 18 January 2011, an RFF spokesperson announced that Eiffage had been selected as the preferred bidder for the project.[7] Reportedly, it had won on the basis of five criteria: cost, the financing package's assessed robustness, technical quality and environmental impact of the proposed work, the timetable for construction activity, and the opportunities available to third party small and medium-sized companies. At the time, it was stated that Eiffage and RFF were expected to sign a contract to finalised this arrangement during the first quarter of 2011.[7]

On 28 July 2011, the 25-year public–private partnership (PPP) contract, valued at €3·3 billion, which covered the construction and maintenance of LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire was signed in Paris by RFF President Hubert du Mesniland and Pierre Berger, the Managing Director of Eiffage. The arrangement covered not only the 182 km (113 mi) high speed line that would be newly built between Le Mans and Rennes, but also an additional 32 km (20 mi) of connecting track between the new line and the existing railway network.[9] One day later, an associated funding agreement for the programme was signed by the Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development & Planning Jean-Louis Borloo.[10] At this time, preliminary studies of the route were scheduled to take place between May 2011 and July 2012, while actual construction activity was intended to commence during the autumn of 2012. The line was projected to be completed sometime in late 2016.[9]

On 27 July 2012, construction of LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire was officially commenced following a ceremony attended by RFF President Hubert du Mesnil and Eiffage Managing Director Pierre Berger, as well as other officials.[11] Reportedly, it was expected that the construction phase of the project would generate around 10,000 jobs.[2]

Some elements of LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire's construction were contracted out to other companies as well. Italian transport engineering company Ansaldo STS provided the line's signalling infrastructure under a contract valued at €62 million ($80.5 million) issued by Eiffage, while Indian metal fabricator Tata Steel was awarded a €50 million ($65 million) contract for the supply of roughly 50,000 tonnes of rails for the project.[2]

An associated project, which was ultimately not realised, would have required the improvement of the conventional Rennes–Brest and Rennes–Quimper lines via alterations such as the elimination of level crossings and the straightening of sharp curves so that these sections could be facilitate trains moving at the higher speed of 220 km/h (137 mph) If this option had been exercised, the journey time for Paris to Brest and Quimper would have reportedly dropped down to 3 hours. On 2 July 2017, the LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire opened in a ceremony overseen by French President Emmanuel Macron.[12]

• Paris–Rennes: 1 hours 26 minutes (a reduction of 37 minutes)
• Paris–Nantes: 1 hours 52 minutes (a reduction of 8 minutes)[5]
• Paris–Saint-Malo: 2 hours 14 minutes (a reduction of 42 minutes)
• Paris–Lorient: 2 hours 56 minutes (a reduction of 42 minutes)
• Paris–Brest: 3 hours 25 minutes (a reduction of 46 minutes)