From the 8th to the 11th of May, traffic is stopped between Bordeaux and Libourne for some colossal construction: moving the rails to the new Bridge of the Garonne.

72 hours! That's the time it will take the Infra SNCF teams, mandated by RFF, to move railway equipment from the Pont Eiffel Bridge to the new Pont de la Garonne Bridge. 300 people will be working in round-the-clock shifts: 24 hrs to take down the existing equipment, 36 hrs to rebuild and reconnect it, and 12 hrs to test everything before rail services resume. It's a 72-hour mission to complete the first step in clearing the Bordeaux bottleneck, after 3 years of colossal construction works: 300 piles, 12,000 sleepers, 20,000 tonnes of ballast, 3,000 metres of rail and power lines moved.

Disruption ahead!The major departures on the evening of May 7 and return trips on May 12 are guaranteed. However, between the two, railway services on the north access of Bordeaux station will be interrupted. When? From Thursday 8 May at noon to Sunday 11 May at noon. Where? Trains coming from the north of Bordeaux will stop at Libourne. The trains coming from Nantes, Poitiers, and La Rochelle will stop at Saint-Mariens. Trains coming from the south of Bordeaux will have their terminus at Bordeaux, where buses will be on-hand to transfer passengers to Libourne and Saint-Mariens.

Don't worry: the SNCF is putting in place an exceptional scheme to transport passengers to their final destinations. Rail shuttles, trams, and coaches will provide (free) transfers and 200 SNCF agents will direct passengers in Libourne, Bordeaux-Saint-Jean, and Halte de Cenon stations.

An exhibition to show the way On 5, 6, and 7 May at Bordeaux-Saint-Jean station, find out the major projects Infra SNCF is working on. Enjoy demonstrations of welding on rails, and admire the massive machinery (track inspection vehicles or ballast tampers) as if you were there. What if you really were?

The Infra SNCF is also presenting jobs and careers in engineering, operating, construction and maintenance. Maybe one day you could be on the front line of rail industry development.

Full service information
Read the posters in-station or call 3635
TER information line:
Aquitaine: 0800 872 872 (free from a landline)
Poitou-Charentes: 0810 810 888 (EUR 0.23 per minute).
If you prefer the Internet:
visit www.ter-sncf.com (new window)
or www.voyages-sncf.com (new window)