Getting from Belfort to Delle via the Belfort-Montbéliard TGV (high speed train) station in less than half an hour has been possible since 9th December. Even better news, the citizens of Belfort can now reach the TGV station in only 10 minutes, and thus reach Strasbourg, Lyon or Paris more quickly with the Rhine-Rhône high speed line.
In total, 38 daily journeys are available between France and Switzerland, from Belfort to Delémont, of which 10 return trips between Belfort and Delle during the rush hour. 22km long, the new line serves seven stops that are entirely accessible by people with reduced mobility and operates seven days a week, intermittently from the first departure at 4.48am until the last at 10.48pm.

To enable this achievement, around 10 SYSTRA experts worked from 2011 on the project management of the works’ design and execution phases. Our assignment was for the design then the monitoring of the line’s complete revamping (platform, infrastructure, hydraulic network, signalling, telecommunications and track) as well as its entire electrification. Going into more detail, this represents 20km of electrified and refurbished line, six new or readapted stops, 17 renovated structures, three new footbridges adapted for people with reduced mobility, three new computerised switching stations, 13 level crossings secured and automated, and six others removed.
“This project had a triple objective: to reinforce daily mobility, reintroduce a railway link with Switzerland, and provide access to the high speed network from Belfort and the neighbouring Swiss cantons”, said Antoine Henn, project director in the France Region (NEN). “With the achievement of this triple objective, the new Belfort-Delle line will help increase the share of rail in cross-border and suburban journeys. All the SNCF and SYSTRA players, working in the same office in Meroux, have reached the goal. Well done to all those who contributed to this wonderful project.”

France Region at the heart of several major renovation projects
2018 has been rich in conventional rail projects. Two lines were reopened, in spring between Avranches and Dol-de-Bretagne, then in summer the ‘Train des Merveilles’ (Train of Wonders) between Cuneo and Ventimiglia.
At the same time, several projects were won in Normandy, between Serqueux and Gisors, as well as between Beauvais and Le-Tréport – Mers-les-Bains. The railway tracks at the Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne station were also revamped at the start of the TELT project.
Teams are also busy working on several sites, among which the Donges bypass in Brittany and the electrification of the line between Gretz and Troyes, where the works phase has just begun.
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