THE planned Paris - Normandy high-speed project, which aims to offer a 250km/h TGV service between Paris, Rouen, Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg, has effectively been abandoned after being left out of the Île-de-France railway master plan approved by France’s Council of State on June 12.
The project would have involved construction of around 280km of high-speed line and aims to shorten journey times and improve economic integration. While initially proposed in the 1990s, the project gained momentum in 2013 after being reaffirmed as a priority by various governmental bodies.
Alignment studies and environmental impact assessments have been taking place. However, there has been strong opposition, which became apparent in extensive public consultations that took place in 2024. Particular concern was expressed on the impact of construction on Île-de-France residents and the environment.
The Île-de-France regional government has echoed these concerns and has been particularly vocal in its criticism, with Valérie Pécresse, the region’s president, calling the €11bn project “economic madness”.
The region has argued that the line would “damage the landscape and consume agricultural land” and confirmed that “the current route has therefore been abandoned” with the French state now set to review the project and how it might proceed.
Work will continue
Parts of the existing project are certain to be followed through, however.
The widening of the existing line between Paris Saint Lazare and Mantes-la-Jolie is necessary to deliver increases in train frequencies as part of the RER Line E extension to Mantes. A project to build a new station in Rouen at Saint Sever on the left bank of the Seine, and a tunnel through to the existing north bank line, is well advanced and will be an essential part of the city’s Metropolitan Regional Express Services (Serm) for an RER-style high-frequency suburban network.
Public officials in Normandy have expressed disappointment at the verdict and another delay in the provision of high-speed rail to the region. Mayor of Rouen, Nicolas Mayer-Rossignol, said on social media that a project steering committee meeting has been confirmed for early July where the project will be reviewed. “The state must not abandon us,” Mayer-Rossignol says.
French, transport minister, Philippe Tabarot, has sought to allay fears, stating on June 14 that the government is seeking a “new approach” to the project.
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