Frédéric Fortin / MCM Press for Localtis
On May 29, the European Commission presented a list of 135 projects selected under the Connecting Europe Facility with a budget of 5.4 billion euros. Overview of projects of direct interest to France.
The European Commission announced on June 29 the 135 transport infrastructure projects (out of 399 applications) which will share some 5.4 billion euros in EU subsidies under the Connecting Europe Facility ( see our article of July 16, 2021), the European transport infrastructure financing instrument. All the winners are located along the trans-European transport network (TEN-T), for which the Commission has set itself the objective of completing the core network by 2030 and the comprehensive network by 2050. Several projects concern exclusively France (or France and Belgium for the first):
• The project Seine-Scheldt 2.1, led by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, which aims to develop the largest network of inland waterways in the heart of the EU – 1,100 km of high-gauge waterways between the Seine basin and the Scheldt basins and of the Meuse. 276,590,288 euros are granted to finance studies and works in Belgium and France.
• The offshore wind deployment terminal project led by the Grand Port Maritime de Nantes – Saint-Nazaire. 3,750,000 euros are allocated to preparatory studies for the modernization of the existing maritime terminal in order to provide the transport infrastructure necessary for the wind farm in the Atlantic arc.
• The project to upgrade the maritime access to the port of La Rochelle, located on the global network, carried by the Grand Port Maritime de La Rochelle. The grant amounts to 8,578,131 euros.
• The port infrastructure adaptation project of Dieppe the requirements of the EU’s external borders in the context of Brexit, supported by the ports of Normandy. Endowed with 679,544 euros, the project includes studies necessary to extend and modernize the area of the outer port of Dieppe, in the global network, in order to provide the space required by customs activities and to improve the sustainability of flows. traffic and port activities.
• The electrification project for a new section of the railway line Paris / Troyes, carried by SNCF Réseau. Endowed with 4,783,623 euros, the action concerns the studies necessary for the preparation of the electrification works of the Nogent-sur-Seine / Troyes section, located on the global network.
• The project for studies relating to the upgrading of the railway electrification system of the section Bordeaux-Lamothe, on the Atlantic Rail Freight Corridor. Led by SNCF Réseau, the project will receive 1,623,500 euros.
• The New Line Provence Côte d’Azur project, led by SNCF Gares & Connexions. Endowed with 1,450,000 euros, the action concerns studies relating to two multimodal passenger hubs – from the airport of Nice and of Marseille-Saint André – which are to be commissioned by 2028 and 2029 respectively.
• The T projectoulous Aerospace Express, carried by the mixed union of public transport of the Toulouse conurbation. 11,337,590 euros are granted to finance technical studies for the construction of a new metro line linking the city center of Toulouse, the station and the airport.
• The project to build a new terminal dedicated to combined road-rail transport (CRRT) in Miramas, carried by Terminal Ouest Provence. 10,098,291 euros are granted to finance studies and construction work.
• The TwV Secure Parking project at the outpost of Calais, carried by TWV LOG. Endowed with 902,183 euros, the action aims to create a safe and secure “gold level” parking area with 96 parking spaces on the central North Sea-Mediterranean corridor.
• The project The Vosges – Parissupported by SNCF Réseau, endowed with 4,567,500 euros for studies aimed at preparing the loading gauge for seven tunnels in the Vosges between Metz/Nancy and Strasbourg in order to allow the transport of P400 semi-trailers (on the Benelux- Switzerland), as well as to increase the capacity needed to absorb future rail freight demand.
Other projects involving France, among other States, have also been selected:
• A project led by the RailNetEurope association (which promotes international rail transport), which aims to improve the timetable planning process (“TimeTable and Capacity Re-design for a Smart Capacity Management” programme). Endowed with 73,906,150 euros, the action concerns 8 countries.
• A project led by the organization Future Mobility Campus Ireland as part of its vertiport (platform for flying vehicles with vertical take-offs/landings). Endowed with 2,776,500 euros, the action aims to promote the integration of U-space (services targeting drones) with ATM (air traffic management) / ATC (air traffic control).
• A “U-space European common deployment” project, involving 9 States, supported by the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation. Endowed with 6,985,843 euros, it aims to promote the adoption by the market of U-space U1 services (registration, identification and geo-barriers) and U2 (flight planning and approval, monitoring, etc.) of U-space through a set of tests and demonstrations in various operational environments and locations in the EU (Spain, Italy and France).
• A research and investment project (“Highly Efficient Green Operations”) led by Airbus involves 11 States. It aims to decarbonize air transport and covers all phases of flight. It is endowed with 18,108,094 euros.
“In the context of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, several projects in Slovakia and Poland will facilitate the transport of goods between Europe and Ukraine,” the Commission said in a statement.
–
