Approximately 400 Volvo machines are being used for the South Europe Atlantic high-speed rail (SEA HSR) development in France.
The 188-mile line will run from Tours to Bordeaux, and will pass through a sizeable portion of Western France. The SEA HSR development is the biggest public-private partnership (PPP) contract ever signed by France’s rail sector, and represents one of the largest infrastructure projects to be launched anywhere in the world during the last decade.
A total of around 400 Volvo CE machines are working on the project. Most are articulated haulers and excavators supported by local Volvo CE dealer Sofemat.
Commenting on the SEA HSR project, Sofemat’s Franck Citarel said: “It’s considered to be the biggest project of its type in Europe at the moment. I have never worked on a project of this size before. It’s fantastic and hugely motivating. The major contractors know what Volvo stands for in terms of durability and fuel consumption. It’s a priority brand for them. The excavators are becoming a reference point for quality here, just like the Volvo articulated haulers and wheel loaders.”
Once completed, the €7bn SEA HSR line will reduce the journey time between Paris and Bordeaux by approximately one hour. As many as 20m passengers will benefit from the new high-speed transport service.
The project, which is expected to create 4,500 jobs during construction and 150 related to operation and maintenance, will also free up the existing Tours-Bordeaux line for more freight traffic and regional express train traffic.
