The ligne du Haut-Bugey, also known as "ligne des Carpates" for the section La Cluse - Bellegarde, links Bourg-en-Bresse to Bellegarde-sur-Valserine via Nantua. 65 kilometers long through through the Jura, this line has slopes of 28 per thousand and tight radius curves (down to 300m), which makes its operation difficult. Today, it is completely closed to passenger traffic. The modernization of the part in operation and reconstruction of the closed part will create an important link between the French TGV network and Geneva.
History
The Bourg-en-Bresse to la Cluse was opened on March 29 1877 by the Compagnie de la ligne des Dombes later integrated into the PLM (Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée). In 1886, the Andelot - Cluse line connects it to the Dijon - Lausanne artery After the Cluse - Bellegarde section was closed to passenger traffic in 1990, the station of la Cluse is became a cul-de-sac, causing the the trains from Lyon and Bourg-en--Bresse to Oyonnax and [[Saint-Claude (Jura) to a reverse.
A chord line was laid avoiding la Cluse station, which is not served any more and a new station, Brion-Montreal-la Cluse was created.
“The Haut-Bugey Project”
The ‘’’Projet du Haut Bugey’’’ is not an LGV but a traditional line ‘’ligne classique’’) linking the South-eastern LGV to Geneva. The reopened line will bring Paris closer to Geneva. The distance will be shortened by 47km and reduce the Paris - Geneva journey time by about 20 minutes, to 3 hours. In addition the rail link between Mâcon and Geneva via Bourg-en-Bresse and Bellegarde-sur-Valserine will be improved. The project will also release significant freight capacity on the Bourg-en-Bresse - Ambérieu - Culoz line.
A new station will be created at Nurieux-Volognat, near the industrial basin of Oyonnax. The existing line will be electrified at 25 kV AC. The permanent way will be rebuilt, the infrastructure renovated and many level crossings level will be removed or replaced. A particular effort will be made for environment protection (particularly the lakes of Nantua and of Sylans in particular) and noise screening.
The project budget of 341 million euros (317,5 excluding the works at Bellegarde is financed by the French state (127,45 million financed via AFITF (Transport Infrastructure Finance Agency of France) and the Swiss government (110 million euros), the RFF (Réseau Ferré de France), as well as the local communities (17,45 million euros distributed between the ‘’région’’ Rhone-Alpes, the departments of Ain and of Haute-Savoie and the town of Bellegarde) and the SNCF]] [1]. Work began in November 2006.
== Sources ==
- ^ Rail Passion n°109 (November 2006), p.10.
External Links (in French)
- official link to RFF (all is not up to date there, e.g. the start date)
- Haut Bugey line
- Structurae site
- ALP-Rail association site