There is a way to finance infrastructure when the National Government does not have enough money… simply rely on the Local and Regional Governments!

A future high-speed rail line extension is planned from Paris toward the west side of France, also known as Brittany, Bretagne in French. As of today, on a regular map of France, Brest, in Brittany, is around 600 kilometres or at least 6 hours driving or 4 to 5 hours by train from Paris. The new high-speed rail link would totally change our country’s map, as it did for the rest of France: Brest would then be at 3 hours from Paris by TGV (see below for project references) and not anymore “that far away”, as represented on the map hereunder. Note that this map was build taking into account the travel time from Paris to the different cities by TGV (French high-speed train operated by SNCF).

Modified map of France depending on TGV time travel from Paris

TGV France map

Source: La Tribune

Financing the project

First things first… Before seeing Brest at a reasonable distance from Paris on the previous map, it is needed to find enough budget to finance the project. After several months and multiple discussions between all Brittany’s local Government officials, they decided unanimously that they would be part of the financing team for this project, bringing €1.1 billion into the Bretagne Grande Vitesse (BGV) project (High-Speed Brittany).

Even though, Brest will be closer to Paris, the high-speed rail line will not however go directly into the city. The actual project will only extend the existing network to Rennes (and also to Nantes, on its southern branch), which will reduce travel time, but not at its maximum. More financing, more studies, and more time will be needed to definitely bridge Brest and Paris via TGV. It is to note that a full high-speed rail line to Brest could theoretically put Brest at 2 hours from Paris… quite an improvement compared to the actual travel times!

References

  • Article: Le TGV replace le Grand Est sur la carte de France, La Tribune, Jun. 6, 2007: here
  • Wesbite: LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire, Ministère de l’Ecologie: here
  • Article: Les collectivités bretonnes s’engagent pour le financement de la LGV qui reliera Paris à la pointe de la Bretagne en moins de 3 heures, RFF La Lettre N°17, Jun. 24, 2008: here

References from the Transport Information Group

High-Speed Rail coverage on the Transport Information Group: