For the activity of the future Agen TGV station to benefit the surrounding areas, it will need the contribution of Gers travelers. What to weigh to obtain a rail link.
Raymond Vall, president of the Agen Porte de Gascogne TGV Station Club, intends to make this association an effective lobbying tool to offer the Gers maximum benefits from the future Agen TGV station.
Raymond Vall, you insisted that this club be called Porte de Gascogne?
One day this TGV line will be the TGV Gascogne for everyone. It will be the gateway to our vineyards, our heritage, the spas… The name of Gascony is known throughout the world!
Why did you create this club?
The TGV Club pursues 4 objectives. It is first of all a desire to bring together the actors of the territory – companies, communities, decision-makers, etc. – with a view to working on its future, which the arrival of the TGV will considerably upset. The 2nd point consists in facilitating access to the new station, by road, railway, bicycle, why not? The future TGV station, to become a regional planning tool, must attract 200,000 to 300,000 passengers per year. The Agenais basin and its 105,000 inhabitants are not enough. Especially since there will be competition from the Montauban TGV station… If the Agen TGV station does not have enough passengers, it will not benefit from as many stops. However, it represents enormous investments for the agglomeration of Agen. 3rd point, the reception of populations, with the revision of municipal maps, and finally, 4th point, the digital opening up, necessary to fix these arrivals, for the economy, teleworking, etc.
So the Agen TGV guard will need Gers travelers?
It is estimated that it can concern between 70,000 and 80,000 Gersois per year. In 2030, it will take almost as much time to do Auch-Paris as Auch-Toulouse, ie 3 h 15. This can attract new populations, as we have already seen in Bordeaux or Rennes. And what about the Gersois who live in the area closest to Lot-et-Garonne? Condom will be 35 km from the station, Eauze 40 km. This will change the daily life of the inhabitants of this part of the Gers which is still very isolated, especially since the RN 124 will not be split after Auch. The rail link between Auch and Agen is therefore very important. It is even an industrial issue. From next year; 10 billion euros will be poured into this project. Our companies have their place there. The TGV Club will also be used to promote them.
For the moment, the Auch-Agen line is not intended for anything other than freight.
Companies must develop CSRs that reduce the carbon level. Using rail will be a good way for Gers companies to offer “carbon-free” quotes. Added to this is the option of the Eco train, which is part of the government’s call for projects to decarbonize and digitize the train. The Eco train of the Ecole des Mines d’Albi has been selected, and several lines in Occitanie are applying to have the prototype.
What is this Eco Train?
It is an automatic mode of transport, digitized, on rail, which can transport between 40 and 50 people or freight, without carbon emissions. It is a train that runs on battery or hydrogen. And Club TGV will fight to get it. It would be perfect for use on the Auch-Agen line, which is dotted with solar power stations, in Saint-Clar and Miradoux. And as this line must be digitized to accommodate this transport, it is possible to pass 5G at the same time, and to open up the territory in this way. The Eco train could also provide freight transport on the Auch-Toulouse line.
What horizon?
We have 10 years ahead of us, but according to the contacts we have made, and the government’s rail decarbonisation programme, the successful candidates have committed to a schedule of 2 to 3 years. Not to mention that the Gers has the companies to build it, this Eco train. It must be made in Occitania: why not here? The TGV Club will push in this direction.
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