As early as 2016, the new elected officials of the Normandy region announced their desire to reopen to the public the railway line between Rouen and Louviers (Eure), whose station was closed in… 1969. But we had to wait until this Thursday, February 8 for Jean -Baptiste Gastinne, vice-president in charge of transport, announces in front of an audience of elected officials, associations and collectives gathered at the Louviers Hub that “the decision has been made”.
The fight for opening up has been underway in France for years, but few small lines have actually seen the light of day again.
However, climate change has happened and the cards are being reshuffled.
Faced with popular pressure, communities are now focusing on the decarbonization of public transport and want to offer additional offers.
Read alsoBetween Coulommiers and La Ferté Gaucher (Seine-et-Marne), new voices are also calling for the reopening of the SNCF line
The announced reopening of the Rouen-Louviers line is described as a “fairly unique project in France”.
According to the elected official, “the Normandy region has comprehensively reviewed the lines that it could reopen.
We looked at that of Rouen-Honfleur.
We have not decided to do so at this time for technical and financial reasons.
We looked as far as Saint-Valery-en-Caux on the line used by freight.
We did not decide to spend it as travelers.
We looked between Bréauté and Port-Jérôme, the line is also used by freight.
The project is rather carried out by the urban community with something innovative.
But I can tell you that, for the moment, the Rouen – Louviers line is the only project that we have decided (to implement).”
While waiting for an extension to Évreux
In the first thoughts, the line should extend to Évreux, “which made sense”.
“We studied the entire route,” explained Jean-Baptiste Gastinne, “and decided to phase the reopening.
On the existing line between Louviers and Évreux, there are now around fifty level crossings, a Natura 2000 zone, a motorway interchange, a factory which has developed and homes close to the tracks.
We abandon this route.
On the other hand, we have decided, between Acquigny and Gravigny, to build a new, straighter and shorter route along the N154.
But that will happen later!
We will start by reopening the existing line between Louviers and Rouen, which will not be the terminus.
The trains will perhaps go to Le Havre.
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The new line will therefore be connected to the Paris - Le Havre line.
Six kilometers long, it will offer a rate of one train per hour in both directions and the planned 1,000 travelers per day will take thirty minutes to reach their destination.
After studies and public inquiries, work will begin in 2029 with a rehabilitation of the network still in place after decades.
It will be electrified, connected to the main line, agricultural, pedestrian and automobile level crossings will be treated, signaling modernized, a stop created in Louviers and the Val-de-Reuil cockpit will be modified.
Also read Aging network, dilapidated trains... these major damaged SNCF lines
The budget which will be devoted to this work amounts to 43 million euros financed by the State and the Normandy region.
Jean-Baptiste Gastinne raises the bill to more than 100 million euros to include the purchase of rolling stock.
Commissioning is planned between 2030 and 2032. During the discussions that followed, the Eure Seine Transport Users Association regretted the extension of the deadline - we went from 2027 to 2032 - and called for a greater frequency and a connection to the future metropolitan RER.
For their part, elected officials from the Louviers Animalist Party requested a study of the impact on wildlife, which is abundant in this area close to natural areas and the Bord forest.
The opposition of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray
The contradiction mainly came from Éric Lardeur, mayor of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, who presented himself as a “Gallic village chief”.
“This subject interests us, even if I learned about it from a surveyor who came to the town to take measurements.
In our village, there are three crossings which will close a street and provide access to a cycle path and a GR.
There's also one in a flood zone where you plan to tunnel under it with big pumps.
It's not very eco-friendly!
As the line had been closed for a very long time, the SNCF sold the station.
The train will therefore not stop.
We are going to have all the disadvantages of passing two trains per hour, without the advantages.
There are a lot of intolerable issues for the municipality that you must resolve quickly.
A collective is being formed.
The project as it stands will not pass!
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