Vinci Signs France's Biggest Rail Construction Contract
According to site Constructiondigital, a 50-year, multibillion-euro concession contract between French railway infrastructure manager Reseau Ferre de France (RFF) and construction company Vinci set in motion the construction of one of the world's largest infrastructure projects launched in the past decade. This is France's biggest public-private partnership in the railway sector.
The new South Europe Atlantic high-speed rail project is one of the largest the world has seen in a decade. The planned South Europe Atlantic high-speed rail (SEA HSR) will span about 188 miles and link the French cities of Tours and Bordeaux. Currently, travel between the cities takes about three hours and five minutes, but the new rail link will cut that time down to just over two hours.
"Gaining an hour on the journey time will allow us to take a good slice of the current air travel market and carry four million extra passengers a year," said RFF Chief Executive Hubert du Mesnil.
Construction on the SEA HSR will begin early next year and it is expected to take five years to complete production. It will include approximately 24 miles of connecting line to the conventional rail network. About 1,300 construction jobs and 150 permanent operation and maintenance jobs will be created for the project.
Created in 1899 by French engineers Alexandre Giros and Louis Loucheur, Vinci has become the largest company in construction and related services worldwide. VINCI is the world leader in concessions and construction, employing close to 180,000 people in some 100 countries.
Vinci and its predecessor companies has been involved in many major projects including the Gariep Dam completed in 1971, the Tour Montparnasse completed in 1972, the new visitor entrance to the Louvre completed in 1989, the Channel Tunnel completed in 1994, the Stade de France completed in 1998 and the Rio-Antirio bridge, completed in 2004.
The new South Europe Atlantic high-speed rail project is one of the largest the world has seen in a decade. The planned South Europe Atlantic high-speed rail (SEA HSR) will span about 188 miles and link the French cities of Tours and Bordeaux. Currently, travel between the cities takes about three hours and five minutes, but the new rail link will cut that time down to just over two hours.
"Gaining an hour on the journey time will allow us to take a good slice of the current air travel market and carry four million extra passengers a year," said RFF Chief Executive Hubert du Mesnil.
Construction on the SEA HSR will begin early next year and it is expected to take five years to complete production. It will include approximately 24 miles of connecting line to the conventional rail network. About 1,300 construction jobs and 150 permanent operation and maintenance jobs will be created for the project.
Created in 1899 by French engineers Alexandre Giros and Louis Loucheur, Vinci has become the largest company in construction and related services worldwide. VINCI is the world leader in concessions and construction, employing close to 180,000 people in some 100 countries.
Vinci and its predecessor companies has been involved in many major projects including the Gariep Dam completed in 1971, the Tour Montparnasse completed in 1972, the new visitor entrance to the Louvre completed in 1989, the Channel Tunnel completed in 1994, the Stade de France completed in 1998 and the Rio-Antirio bridge, completed in 2004.
