• The Nantes-Angers-Le Mans line is by far the busiest in the Pays-de-la-Loire.

  • Modernization of signaling and switches will make it possible to support the increase in traffic.

  • But, in the long term, the creation of a new route is already under study.

It is one of the busiest railway axes in France.

The Nantes-Angers-Le Mans link is officially considered "saturated" by the SNCF.

Up to eight trains (TGV, TER and Intercités) pass through it per hour in each direction.

Not to mention the freight trains at off-peak hours and at night.

Blame it on the strong demographic growth of the Pays-de-la-Loire region and, in particular, on the attractiveness of the cities of Nantes and Angers.

Impossible to double the tracks stuck between the Loire, the cliff and a sometimes dense urban fabric.

SNCF Réseau, the rail manager, therefore set out to find another solution to accommodate additional traffic on the line in the medium term.

The idea, approved at the beginning of February by a steering committee, consists, on the one hand, in modernizing all the signal boxes and, on the other hand, in setting up a new computerized signaling system, known as ERTMS , which can already be found on major European railway sections.

Up to 25% increase in attendance

These developments should make it possible to run two trains on the same track when approaching the stations of Nantes, Angers and Sablé, and to optimize the management of traffic speeds.

“Basically, we are increasing the size of the pipes to allow more trains to pass through them”, sums up Christophe Huau, regional director of SNCF Réseau.

The expected increase in attendance would go up to 25%.

“We could go from three to four TGVs per hour in each direction.

And probably add an additional TER train path,” confirms Loïc Cocherel, project management manager at SNCF Réseau.

The site is very expensive, around 600 to 700 million euros.

And it will not allow commissioning before 2030. And then?

Will this be enough if population growth continues, as demographers predict?

“There will come a time when the infrastructure will come to an end,” admits Christophe Huau.

You have to prepare for it, even if there is no need at the moment.

»

“We are talking about several billion euros of investment”

SNCF Réseau is therefore looking ahead and is already working, in collaboration with the Pays-de-la-Loire regional council, on the development of a new high-speed line (300 km/h) between Sablé-sur- Sarthe and Nantes, in addition to the current axis.

“We are looking for the best route, specifies Loïc Cocherel.

We looked at about fifty possible scenarios and we selected four.

We must now study the time savings, the social and economic impacts, the financial stakes… We are talking about several billion euros of investment.

»

The option of a direct Sablé-Nantes link has been ruled out.

The future line would therefore serve the agglomeration of Angers with “possibly an underground station”.

The horizon 2050 is mentioned, at the earliest.

"It's still embryonic," insists the regional director of SNCF Réseau.

The costs are enormous.

We are not rich enough to overinvest when there is no need for it yet.

In the meantime, we can improve the existing one at a lower cost.

»

Some 10 million annual trips are currently made by TGV on the Nantes-Angers-Le Mans axis, according to SNCF Réseau.

Traffic forecasts assume needs of 13 million trips in 2050.

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  • TGV

  • SNCF

  • Angers

  • Le Mans

  • Nantes

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