This Monday, March 22, SNCF took stock of the progress of projects underway in the region, as part of the modernization of the Etoile Ferroviaire Lyonnaise.
Anticipate the increase in the number of travelers
“We are all mobilized to provide solutions to the problem of saturation and train delays“, insisted Pascal Mailhos, prefect of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes alongside the various partners. Because this is the central issue: improving the punctuality of TGV and TER, especially when we know that the number of travelers is increasing every year.
It is estimated that in 2030, there will be an increase in TER ridership of 25%. Around 15% more travelers are expected at Lyon Part-Dieu station alone, the leading European station in terms of connections.
“Our big handicap is that in our regional rail system, everything goes through Part-Dieu. We need to give ourselves some oxygen“, commented Laurent Wauquiez, President of the Region. This station, the heart of the project, is currently experiencing large-scale work. By October 2023, a twelfth track is planned, track L is already under construction.
Improve service
Of the 32 operations that we can also follow on the Etoile Ferroviaire Lyonnaise website– about twenty remain to be completed and launched. Construction of electrical substations in Meximieux in the Ain or at Saint-Étienne Bellevue station, platform extensions in Givors and Rive-de-Gier … A new phase of consultation will then begin for projects more distant, which will not see the light of day … until 2040.
But the first results are there, recalled Thomas Allary, regional director of SNCF Réseau. “Over the past five years, we are 50% fewer trains late, with 42% less minutes lost on average. We’re not gonna stop there, but it’s encouraging“, concludes Thomas Allary.
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