Systra has been awarded a contract by French infrastructure operator SNCF Réseau to provide project management support for the planned high-speed rail (HSR) lines between Bordeaux and Toulouse as well as between Bordeaux and Dax. The contract has a term of nine years and is worth €200 million. As part of the contract, Systra will mobilise around 100 engineers in Bordeaux and Toulouse to support all phases of the planning and construction of the new LNSO south-west line. The tasks include defining the functional and technical programme, managing the administrative, financial and environmental aspects of the project, and ensuring that budget and schedule targets are met. The new lines, which will be built as two separate branches of the Tours – Bordeaux HSR line that opened in 2017, will comprise a total of 418 km of new infrastructure. They are expected to reduce travel times from Paris to Toulouse and Dax to around three hours each. The first tenders for the construction phase are expected in 2026, and the €15 billion project is scheduled for completion by 2032.
