It was the last station to cross, the essential administrative stage. The project for a third metro line in Toulouse has just been declared of public utility, this Friday, by Etienne Guyot, the prefect of Haute-Garonne.
In theory, nothing can stop this infrastructure at a forecast cost of 2.7 billion euros, the commissioning of which is promised for 2025. 27 km long - as long as the first two lines combined - it must link Colomiers in Labège, via the aeronautical area and the Matabiau station.
Expropriations can begin
To obtain this Declaration of Public Utility (DUP), Tisséo had to lift two "reservations" expressed by the commission of inquiry. The François-Verdier station (which will connect line B) has been slightly moved to avoid the felling of century-old trees. And, in the Sept-Deniers district, the capacity of the overhead parking lot has shrunk from 300 to 100 spaces.
This green light comes five weeks before the municipal elections. Technically, it will allow Tisséo to expropriate plots where amicable negotiations have not succeeded. Politically, it confirms the program of the outgoing mayor, Jean-Luc Moudenc (LR, supported by LREM), which makes the March election a kind of referendum for or against the line. One of the recurring criticisms made of the project is that it does not make the loop through Toulouse-Blagnac airport.
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- Tisséo
- Toulouse
- Transport
- Subway