Vinci to build biggest rail project in Europe

Biggest rail project in Europe

Vinci SA, the world's largest construction company, has won a contract to build the biggest rail project in Europe - a 7.8 billion euro ($10.1 billion) high-speed rail between Tours and Bordeaux in Southern France.

The project will see the construction of a 340km stretch of track that will reduce travel time by train between Paris and Bordeaux by an hour to two hours and five minutes from the end of 2016. According to rail-network operator Reseau Ferre de France, who awarded the contract to Vinci, the ambitious project will be the biggest in Europe.

Vinci will work with financial partners Caisse des Depots and AXA SA, who were chosen from among three groups that also included Bouygues SA and Eiffage SA in a second round of bidding. The works are expected to begin by the end of 2011.

The four year project will create 60,000 direct and indirect full-time jobs for the duration of the work.

Europe's high-speed development

High-speed rail projects have been a major source of investment all over Europe, with the UK unveiling plans for a new line between London and Birmingham with a possible extension to northern England and Scotland. However work is not expected to commence until 2017 at the earliest, due to permission being needed for the proposed route.

Bulgaria also recently joined the high-speed rail club, with an announcement of the construction of a 290km railway line. Once it is finished, trains will be able to run at a speed of 160 km/h between the southern cities of Plovdiv and Burgas.

While China may be leading in high-speed rail production, the rest of the world is rapidly catching up and the success of high-speed rail has impacted on plane services, with short-haul services making less money in areas where high-speed rail has been implemented.

The environmental argument is also a strong one with train travel often three to 10 times less C02 intensive than road or air transport.

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Timon Singh

Timon Singh is a graduate of Liverpool University where he received a degree in Social and Economic History. He has previously worked for BBC Magazines on BBC Who Do You Think You Are? Magazine, the publication for the popular genealogy show.

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