SNCF Réseau will be carrying out an extraordinary project in 2025-2026, which will have an impact on train traffic on the Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse route. Aimed at changing the entire track - rail, ballast and sleepers - using a huge factory train and mobilising some 400 people, this work, worth €133m, will start in April 2025. This will entail a break in traffic between 10am and 3pm, at least for trains departing from Paris-Austerlitz.
However, the bulk of the work will begin in August, with a 70 km section between Boisseaux and Les Aubrais, which will require the suspension to be extended. 9.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. on weekdays. Trains will in fact continue to run at weekends and during the Christmas holidays between Paris and Orléans, with final completion of the works scheduled for February 2026. SNCF Réseau justifies the need to carry out this work during the day by the fact that this section is part of the Fret Atlantique corridor, on which 60% freight trains run at night, with the obligation to respect very strict timetables.
Alternative solutions under study
SNCF is considering alternative solutions to minimise the impact of these disruptions on leisure and business customers. The introduction of substitute buses is also envisaged, as is an increase in the number of services before and after the period when rail traffic is cut off. This should also disrupt traffic to the south of France and the Occitanie region. Passengers will therefore need to find out about the traffic situation and the alternative services on offer before travelling during the period from April 2025 to February 2026.
