Construction works are scheduled to start at the end of 2023 on the Grand Projet Ferroviaire du Sud-Ouest (GSPO) high-speed rail (HSR) project in south-west France. Under the GSPO project, the Bordeaux – Toulouse and Bordeaux – Dax lines are to be built at an estimated cost of €14 billion. The GSPO project will be implemented in three phases. The first phase includes the construction of the new lines with a length of 327 km including a 55 km shared track between Bordeaux and Gironde. The second and third phases comprise the upgrading of the existing Bordeaux – Sète railway line, first south of Bordeaux and then north of Toulouse. The project is being financed 40% by the French state, 40% by local authorities and 20% by the European Union (EU). The special purpose entity for the project was created in March 2022.
