The consortium made up of Bouygues Construction (Bouygues Travaux Publics, as lead firm, and DTP Terrassement), Colas (Colas Rail and Colas Midi-Méditerranée), Alstom Transport, Spie batignolles, and financial investors (Meridiam and Fideppp) has been named by French rail infrastructure manager Réseau Ferré de France (RFF) as the preferred bidder for the partnership deal concerning the railway bypass around France's southern cities of Nîmes and Montpellier. 

The public-private-partnership (PPP) deal to be concluded for a 25-year term concerns the design, financing, construction, operation, servicing and the maintenance of a new shared-track rail infrastructure (freight and passenger trains) between Nîmes and Montpellier. Of the total track length of 80 km, 60 km will be main line and 20 km will be connecting track. The works will mobilise not only the in-house staff of the consortium members and their engineering consultants (Systra, Setec and SGTE) but also the employees of many small regional businesses who will be brought in to assist in the project. 

The members of the consortium were delighted to learn the decision and wish to thank RFF for the trust it has shown in them. They are already working on financial closing so that the PPP can come into effect in the first half of 2012.