Stéphane Place (in Bordeaux) 6:23 a.m., February 22, 2022

After much turmoil, the financing of the TGV line linking Bordeaux to Toulouse has been validated by the communities.

A real "relief" for the prefect of Occitanie coordinator of the LGV project, Etienne Guyot, who reacted to the microphone of Europe 1 on Tuesday.

Because the opponents of the project and the refusals of financing had plunged the project into uncertainty.

After countless reversals and opposition from environmentalists, the financing of the future TGV Bordeaux - Toulouse is officially on track.

And it was not easy.

In ten years, in principle, Toulouse will only be three hours from the capital.

The total cost of the project?

It amounts to 14 billion euros.

The State puts its hand in the pocket up to 40% and the European Union up to 20%.

Communities invest the rest. 

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Etienne Guyot, prefect of Occitanie coordinator of the LGV project, expressed his satisfaction at the microphone of Europe 1: "It is a real relief after a marathon which made it possible to complete the financing of Bordeaux-Toulouse, Bordeaux-Dax online at high speed. It is essential because it is now irreversible. Today, it took two hours between Toulouse and Bordeaux. You will take 1 hour and therefore 3:05 exactly to go to Paris."

Opposition from environmental defense associations

This time, all the lights are green, despite the numerous oppositions and refusals of funding recorded in recent months as well as the amount of contributions lower than expected from certain communities.

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- LGV Bordeaux-Toulouse: Jean-Baptiste Djebbari responds to the environmentalist mayor of Bordeaux

The elected officials of the agglomeration of Dax, for example, validated last week a lower participation of ten million euros than what was requested at the start.

In New Aquitaine, elected environmentalists are making serious criticisms of this high-speed line, which is opposed by a dozen environmental defense associations.

Obtaining the money was much more complicated at the beginning of the month.

The regional council even had to release an additional 225 million to overcome the refusals of the Basque Country urban community and the departments of Gironde and Lot-et-Garonne.