The Contournement Nîmes-Montpellier is a high speed railway project, bypassing the cities of Nîmes

Nîmes

Nîmes is the capital of the Gard department in the Languedoc-Roussillon region in southern France. Nîmes has a rich history, dating back to the Roman Empire, and is a popular tourist destination.-History:...

 and Montpellier

Montpellier

-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....

 in southern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

.
The railway is planned to be mixed-use, with both TGV

TGV

The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....

 trains and freight; it would be 60-80km long, and would connect to the LGV Méditerranée

LGV Méditerranée

The LGV Méditerranée is a French high speed railway line of approximately 250 km length, which entered service in June, 2001. Running between Saint-Marcel-lès-Valence and Marseille, it connects the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur and Languedoc-Roussillon to the LGV Rhône-Alpes, and from...

 and extend it southwest towards the LGV Perpignan–Figueres. Two new TGV stations are proposed for the line, near to Montpellier and Nîmes; existing stations will not be able to cope with the expected high volume of TGVs.

Project

Déclaration d'utilité publique

Déclaration d'utilité publique

A Déclaration d'utilité publique, or declaration of public utility, is a formal recognition that a proposed project has public benefits. Many large construction projects in France, especially relating to infrastructure, must achieve DUP before work can begin....

 was passed in 2005. By May 2009, RFF

Réseau Ferré de France

Réseau Ferré de France , , owns and maintains the French national railway network. The trains are operated by SNCF, the national railway company, but due to European Union Directive 91/440, the French government was required to separate train operations from the railway infrastructure.Unlike other...

 had selected three bids to construct the line - by Bouygues

Bouygues

Bouygues S.A. is a French industrial group headquartered in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Bouygues is listed on Euronext Paris exchange and is a blue chip in the CAC 40 stock market index. The company was founded in 1952 by Francis Bouygues and since 1989 has been led by his son Martin...

, Eiffage

Eiffage

-History:The company was formed in 1992 through the merger of several companies: Fougerolle , Quillery , Beugnet , and La Societe Auxiliaire d' Enterprises Electriques et de Travaux Public, better known as SAE .-Major projects:Recent projects have included the Channel Tunnel completed in 1994, the...

 and Vinci (construction) - and it expects to select the definitive bidder by the end of 2011. Construction is expected to be complete by 2016; although further extensions as far as the LGV Perpignan–Figueres may not be complete until after 2020.