FAQ

Trains are only competitive when they run on flat terrain, and the only way to achieve flat railway routes through mountainous regions is to build so-called “base tunnels”.

This is why several base tunnels already exist or are under construction across the Alpine arc, in addition to the Mont Cenis tunnel: the Lötschberg (opened in 2007), the Gotthard (opened in 2016) and the Ceneri (opened in 2020) in Switzerland; the Semmering (planned opening in 2027) and the Koralm (planned opening in 2026) in Austria; and the Brenner (planned opening in 2032) between Austria and Italy.

The construction of the cross-border line includes connections with existing railway lines through the new international stations of Susa and Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

TELT is working with institutional stakeholders to develop local rail services, taking into account their potential to support economic and tourism activities in the region through improved rail connectivity.

60% of the material extracted during excavation will be reused as aggregates for concrete production or as backfilling material.

The remaining 40% will be used for landscaping and environmental rehabilitation projects in areas adjacent to the construction sites, thereby reducing material transport and associated emissions.

The current situation generates significant pollution, with the daily transit of three million trucks between France and Italy. The new rail line will make it possible to shift one million trucks from road to rail, resulting in annual greenhouse gas emission savings equivalent to those of a city of 300,000 inhabitants.

Rail transport is the most environmentally friendly mode of transport.

All works are carried out under very strict requirements in order to minimise environmental impacts in the valleys.

All Lyon–Turin construction sites are subject to a rigorous environmental monitoring system, based on best practices already implemented at Chiomonte. At that site, 40 monitoring stations collected 62,000 measurements within a 15 km radius, covering 135 parameters. These data were used in a health impact study conducted by the University of Turin, which found no health risks.

Daily environmental monitoring around the works has never detected the presence of asbestos fibres in the air. However, TELT applies the strictest safety standards by directly burying any rock potentially containing asbestos within the excavated tunnels, ensuring it is never brought out of the mountain.

Each construction site is equipped with a water treatment plant. Periodic checks are carried out on nearby watercourses, and so far analyses—validated by the competent French and Italian authorities—have shown no signs of pollution. TELT, in cooperation with local technical services, also monitors water levels and flow rates.

All monitoring is carried out under the constant supervision of the competent authorities.

The award procedures for the works are organised into 81 tender notices divided into four lots, designed to also encourage the participation of small and medium-sized enterprises (up to €5 million; €5–50 million; €50–500 million; and €500 million–€1.3 billion).

Based on statistical studies carried out during the construction of the Chiomonte and Saint-Martin-La-Porte exploratory tunnels, it is estimated that the works will involve, between contractors and subcontractors, around 20,000 companies, covering all types of contracts from small-scale assignments to large infrastructure projects.

More than 2,000 people are already working on the project. Once fully operational, the infrastructure will directly employ 4,000 people, with a similar number in related sectors.

Currently, more than 49.5% of the professionals employed on completed project sections come from the local area.

The “Pacte pour le Territoire” in Italy and the “Marche des Grands Chantiers” in France provide a public funding programme aimed at making the Lyon–Turin construction sites a driver of local economic development.

In addition, no dedicated base camp is planned for the workforce, thereby generating positive economic spillovers for the territories hosting the works.

The project has a multiplier effect: each euro spent contributes €3.77 to national GDP (Clas Group analysis, 2018).

For the first time in Europe, the France–Italy Intergovernmental Commission has approved the application of a transnational anti-mafia regulation.

To work on the Lyon–Turin construction sites, companies must be included on a “white list” after a series of checks on their activities. In addition, three independent oversight bodies supervise the activities of TELT, the company responsible for delivering the project.

The cost of the cross-border section amounts to €11.1 billion (2012 value), certified by an independent third party.

Italy contributes 35%, France around 25%, and the European Union 40%.

To keep the certified cost up to date in line with annual financial trends, the Member States created a project-specific cost evolution index, detailed in the 2016 Additional Protocol.

This indicator is based on several variables drawn from Italian (ISTAT), French (INSEE) and European data sources, forming a kind of indexed basket of values linked to inflation for the project.

To monitor this evolution, TELT developed a software program that regularly tracks data published by ISTAT and INSEE in Italy and France, as well as EUROSTAT, and updates the relevant variables accordingly.