An important technical and political building project : the Lyon-Turin link

After twenty years of political procrastination, objections from environmental activists and the vagaries of the financial crisis, the Lyon-Turin rail link project is still struggling to become a reality which is surprising since the European Union has made it one of its priorities and been a major source of its funding. The Alpine countries have promised to transfer as much road transit goods traffic as possible to rail transport, citing the example of Switzerland which has been operating like this successfully for a long time. Rail transport has long been recognised by ecologists as the least polluting and most sure means of transport. The positive effects of such an infrastructure on economic development, on a European or regional scale (PACA Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur or Rhône-Alpes French regions), will be substantial and are highly anticipated. The preparatory work is well under way and the engineers are waiting for the go-ahead. So will the Lyon-Turin rail link eventually be finished ?