In 2001, a Franco-Italian agreement ratified the creation of Lyon-Turin, a rail link that would facilitate the transport of goods and passengers between France and Italy. Back in this folder on the project’s beginnings, oppositions and the beginning of the work.
Prime Minister Manuel VALLS inaugurates in Saint-Martin-de-la-Porte, Savoy, the tunnelling machine that will excavate the first section of the main tunnel of the Lyon-Turin rail link. It is a question of being able to transport passengers and goods in the future. The Prime Minister is impressed by "this incredible place". Extract from the press conference in which he announces the creation of a specific fund for the Euralpin tunnel.
A high-speed transalpine link should be established between Lyon and Turin to relieve the Alpine valleys asphyxiated by heavy goods vehicles. End of construction: 2020. On the heights of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, the shipyard was modest. A reconnaissance well foreshadows the work. Explanations by Jacques RICARD, manager "Alpetunnel". For Serge CHOIRAT, "Mission TGV SNCF", it is a help for travellers and goods.
A TGV between Lyon and Turin. The line is expected to be operational in 2023, and work will really begin in three years. In the Susa Valley in Italy, the opposition is strong. Alberto PERINO, the historical leader of the anti-TGV movement gathered more than 20,000 people. "They’ll never stop us because we’re up to our necks". The pro TGVs are also campaigning. In Piedmont all the political class or almost said "yes" to the project, like Antonio SAITTA, president of the province of Turin.
The Lyon-Turin rail link is a reality. At the 20th Franco-Italian summit in Turin, the two French and Italian transport ministers signed the historic agreement between the two countries. The line is scheduled to open in 2015, but Piedmont’s elected officials and environmentalists are unhappy with this project. Extracts from the speech of Lionel JOSPIN, Prime Minister, and President Jacques CHIRAC.
"C'est une lutte de défense et ça vaut la peine !". Tels sont les propos de l'écrivain italien Erri de Luca à propos de son combat contre la ligne TGV Lyon-Turin. Il souligne que c'est aussi un combat pour la liberté d'expression.