Young people are the protagonists of the Lyon-Turin Quinzaine Européenne, the series of events organised by TELT that will take place between March and June under the banner of the French Presidency of the European Union.

The events focus on the links between European mobility, economic development and environmental benefits involving France, Italy and Europe for a more sustainable future. Groups of French and Italian students will visit the construction sites to take a look behind the scenes of the construction of the base tunnel, and will meet both workers and companies. Thematic webinars will also be delivered by experts to discover the features that make this major project unique: its bi-national, European, economic and environmental dimension.

From the European Year of Rail to that of Youth

After 2021, which was designated as the European Year of Rail as the European Union promoted greater awareness of the benefits of rail transport through the Connecting Europe Express initiative, 2022 will be dedicated to youth. In this perspective, TELT endorses the words of the European Commissioner for Transport, Adina Vălean, according to whom the European Year of Youth is the natural successor of the Year of Rail as “it is the new generations that are the best railway ambassadors”.

The first appointment

Today, 75 BTS industrial maintenance students from the Lycée Paul Héroult of Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne and the ITS Energia Piemonte of Pinerolo were accompanied in groups by technicians to discover the construction site of the cut-and-cover tunnel, the entrance to the Lyon-Turn base tunnel built in Saint-Julien-Montdenis.

During the meeting, they asked questions about the project and the challenges that come with it, as well as about the professional opportunities related to this project. Questions out of curiosity were also posed, like: how long will it take to cross the tunnel? And to get from Turin to Lyon?

The visit took place within the framework of InterBITS, the Franco-Italian exchange project on high technology and technical training in which the two schools participate, funded by ALCOTRA, the European cross-border cooperation programme between France and Italy.