TELT Lyon Turin • Goal 2030

Goal 2030

Home | Goal 2030

Fewer lorries on the roads and a competitive rail transport

Every year almost 44 million tons of goods cross the Western Alps and currently more than 90% travel by road. It is estimated that at least half of these goods will be able to use the new Lyon-Turin line: converting the mountain line into a lowland railway will save 40% of energy, making rail transport more competitive, with considerable benefit for the environment.

Intermodal transport

The new cross-border line would allow the development of intermodal road-rail transport on the Italy-France route.

Intermodal transport is a method of moving freight that uses standardised “load units” (usually containers) that are suitable for moving from one mode of transport (ship, lorry, train) to another, in order to reach their destination.

A characteristic and prerequisite of this type of transport is that the goods are placed in an “Intermodal load unit” at a factory or at a warehouse, from which they are not removed until the final destination is reached. This lack of intermediate manipulations also assures a lower risk of damage to the contents, a lower cost of transfer between different types of transport, and a faster delivery.

The Mediterranean corridor

The Lyon-Turin line is an essential part of the Mediterranean Corridor, one of the 9 railway axes belonging to the European TEN-T network.

The line between France and Italy represents the central hub of a railway that will connect Algeciras, in Spain, to Budapest in Hungary, serving 18% of the European population and 17% of the Community’s GDP. An axis linking the East and West of the continent, crossing seven of the nine European Corridors financed by the EU.

The Corridor is about 3,000 km long and has been created to promote economic exchanges and strengthen the competitiveness of the Mediterranean European countries, through a rail network that is both high-speed and high-capacity (freight/passenger), and which also serves major maritime and river ports, large cities and airports.

The usefulness of the Lyon-Turin line is documented by seven socio-economic evaluation studies undertaken between 2000 and the present day, carried out by qualified experts who have taken into account the volume of trade exchanges along the Mediterranean Corridor, traffic forecasts and environmental impact in such a fragile ecosystem as the Alpine one.

The European TEN-T network

The European Union has focused on the creation of the TEN-T network, the European “metro line”, which envisages nine Corridors to connect the continent quickly, efficiently and sustainably along 17,500 km of railway lines, connecting ports, airports, intermodal hubs and large urban centres.

The trans-European transport network (the acronym, TEN-T, is for Trans-European Networks – Transport), is a set of integrated transport infrastructures designed to support the single market, assure the free movement of freight and people and strengthen the growth, employment and competitiveness of the European Union.

In the past, European transport systems were developed mostly according to national criteria, with the consequent scarcity or absence of interconnections at the borders or along strategic corridors. Since the 1990s, TEN-T policy has been directing European funds to support the implementation of key infrastructure projects for Europe.

The new silk road

The prospect extends to a broader international scale, because Russia and China are also building lines that constitute the new railway silk roads.

In particular, the New Silk Road developed by China plans to improve its trade links with the European countries via a terrestrial route including three different paths connecting West, Middle East and Southeast Asia, and a maritime route divided into two paths: one that winds from China through the Indian Ocean, the Red Sea and finally connects to Europe, the other that connects Beijing with the Pacific islands across the China Sea.

The cities

Turin

The first capital of Italy and now capital of the Piedmont Region, Turin is the heart of a metropolitan area with almost two million inhabitants. It represents the third largest economic and productive area in the country and is one of the major university and scientific centres in Italy, as well as a major city for tourists and for cultural events. It is the hub of the Italian automotive industry, an important centre of publishing, banking and insurance, information technologies, food and wine, aerospace, industrial design and sport.

Lyon

The third most populated city in France, Lyon is the capital of the Auvergne-Rhône Alpes Region, with a population of over 2 million inhabitants residing in the metropolitan area. Lyon is a development centre at European level: all the industrial sectors are present, but the city’s international reputation is particularly linked to mechanics, textiles and chemistry. Lyon is one of the largest university and cultural centres in France. Its strategic role is linked to its position between the north and south of the country and it boasts a state-of-the-art freight and passenger transport system.

Milan

The Lombard capital is a metropolitan area of more than 8 million inhabitants. It is the main financial centre and the most important economic pole of the country, home of the Italian Stock Exchange. Since the second half of the last century, Milan has focused on finance, national and international trade, business management, publishing, industrial design, advertising, entertainment, scientific research, biotechnology, information technology, university activities, fashion, design, marketing and television media. The total gross domestic product generated by the city of Milan is about 39 billion euros.

Paris

Paris is the fifth most populated municipality in the European Union, with a metropolitan area of about 12 million people. The economic activity of Paris does not specialise in any particular sector, but has recently moved to high value-added activities, such as financial services, information technology, and high technology. The French capital is the country’s leading university and cultural centre and, with over 28 million tourists a year, is the most visited city in the world. With a GDP of more than 570 billion euros, it's a powerhouse of the global economy.

Previous slide

Next slide