Paris-Lyon: 101 hours on the clock for an unprecedented operation
Between 9 and 12 November 2024, work was carried out on the Paris-Lyon high-speed line to prepare for the entry into service of the signalling system based on the European ERTMS standard. A look back at an operation of unprecedented scale on a high-speed line in service.
4 days to improve technological performance
For 101 hours, 1,000 SNCF Réseau employees were mobilised to connect the new installations. 22 trains also operated in a dry run to complete this first stage in the technological switchover of Europe's busiest line to ERTMS. This acronym stands for the European Rail Traffic Management System, a new signalling system based on European standards, with a high level of safety and performance.
What does ERTMS change?
This harmonised system fosters the interoperability of the continent's different networks, improving the regularity of traffic flows while allowing an increase in traffic, all with enhanced safety. How? The ERTMS digital system constantly monitors the speed and position of trains, enabling traffic management to be optimised.
€820M
for the LGV+ Paris-Lyon project, co-financed by SNCF Réseau (€700m) and the European Union (€120m)
1,000
employees working for 101 hours on the Paris-Lyon high-speed line
58
new signal boxes brought into service and a new control centre
25% higher capacity at peak times
Begun 5 years ago, this work will lead to a technological leap forward on the 460 km of the Paris-Lyon line, which alone handles 240 trains a day, i.e. 1/3 of the total high-speed traffic on the French network. With the introduction of ERTMS, the capacity of the line, which entered into service in 1981, will gradually increase. The number of trains per hour and per direction at peak times will increase from 13 to 16 by 2030, representing a 25% increase in capacity.
Replacing the entire signalling system of an existing high-speed line in a single operation has never been done before. It's a first!
An LGV+ project with several components
Co-financed by SNCF Réseau and the European Union, the LGV+ Paris-Lyon project, worth a total of 820 million euros, has several components:
- modernising signalling and signal boxes;
- centralising line control in a single location;
- increasing electrical power;
- infrastructure development for arrivals in Paris and Lyon.