Editorial photo #13099400 Sports
First Hearing At The Administrative Court On The Content On The Legality Of The Planned LGV Highspeed Train Bordeaux-Toulouse
Protesters pose for a picture. Several associations, such as 'Amis de la Terre' (i.e., 'Friends of Earth'), Stop-LGV 47, Stop-LGV 33, and LGV-No Thanks, call for a gathering in front of the main railway station of Toulouse, the Matabiau train station, just before a hearing at the Administrative Court of Toulouse to contest the legality of environmental authorizations for the planned high-speed train between Bordeaux and Toulouse. The CNPN (National Council for the Protection of Nature) says the SNCF file to build this high-speed railway is inadequate, false, and incomplete. The Environmental Authority also says there is no research on alternatives for the LGV, which is a legal duty. Moreover, the projected price tag is initially estimated at EUR10 billion for 200 km, then EUR14 billion in 2021, and now the costs are estimated to exceed EUR20 billion. The EU will not provide any funding. However, there are already two train lines between Bordeaux and Toulouse. The works and the line will use more than 6,300 ha of good soils, including 3,000 ha of forests and 370 ha of wetlands, in Toulouse, France, on December 15, 2025. (Photo by Alain Pitton/NurPhoto)
