A former radiologist, Pierre Recarte was only interested in the train when he boarded it. Sixteen years ago, the high-speed line projects between Dax and Spain encouraged him to immerse himself in studies and join the Cade (Collective of environmental defense associations in the Basque Country and southern Landes) of which he is vice-president. After two previous books, “Les rails de la déraison” and “Les grandes voraces”, he published “The GPSO in twenty questions” in which he wishes to prove, in twenty questions and answers, that the Grand Projet du Sud-Ouest (the high-speed line from Bordeaux to Toulouse and to Dax) is “economic and ecological madness”.
“The book is a response to the site LGV2030 produced by GPSO supporters, he explains. Ours, StopLGV2030, is built on the same model with a much more extensive bibliography than opposite. What we say is based on serious studies. The falsehoods that we are accused of are spread by the Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine regions or the SNCF. »
The ex-doctor denounces in particular the attendance forecasts for the future line which, according to him, are doped with hormones. “There would be 5 million additional travelers when the line comes into service, we know the refrain,” he assures while conceding that the Paris-Bordeaux LGV, inaugurated in July 2017, is a success in terms of number of passengers. travelers. “A success for Vinci, the concessionaire of the line, not for the SNCF which is in deficit. In France, only 5.8% of travelers ride a TGV on an LGV. And we would have to spend billions of euros, destroy thousands of hectares for such a small minority while our TERs are in such a pitiful state? The neo-Aquitaine president Alain Rousset keeps repeating that there are a lot of backpacks in this LGV, which means that these are leisure trips. When you’re on vacation, it doesn’t matter if the train takes half an hour or an hour longer. »
Renovate the current line
For Pierre Recarte, it is equally misleading to assert that the LGV will eliminate trucks or attract businesses. “It will only relocate them. »
Like all opponents of high speed, Pierre Recarte considers that the reasonable solution is to renovate the current line. “Between Bordeaux and Spain, the project will be entirely completed in 2026. Between Bordeaux and Toulouse, the modernization of the tracks would cost 3 billion euros and the trains which travel on average at 126 km/hour would rise to 170, or even up to at 220, a time saving of 22 minutes. »
The ex-radiologist also recalls that the Bordeaux-Dax section is planned for the foreseeable future while local authorities have already committed 40%. “This GPSO is a Concorde on rails and only obeys the megalomania of elected officials who want to leave their mark. » For him, it is not too late to stop everything. “By legal and political means, never by violence. »
Pierre Recarte, “The GPSO in twenty questions”, Éditions Nuvis, 206 pages, 19 euros.
2024-04-14 14:44:43
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