Loire Economic Development Agency - ADEL - Infrastructure
Connections By Road
Loire is located at the heart of European markets and has the densest road network in France. This allows for easy access to the principal European cities.
Loire is the junction of three principal European routes (Hamburg–Barcelona, Munich–Madrid, Milan–Bordeaux) and three of France’s principal routes (Paris–Marseilles, Strasbourg–Lyon–Toulouse, Bordeaux–Geneva).
Motorways in Loire:
A47: Saint-Etienne - Lyon (40 minutes)
A72: Saint-Etienne - Clermont-Ferrand (1 hour 15 minutes) - Paris
A47 + A7: Mediterranean Sea and Cote d`Azur (3 hours)
A47+ A43: French Alps and skiing (2.5 hours)
Distance to Lyon: Up to 50 kilometers (Up to 1 hour)
Distance to Grenoble: Up to 150 kilometers (Up to 2 hours)
Distance to Dijon: Up to 300 kilometers (Up to 2.5 hours)
Connections By Rail
- 4 daily direct TGV (high speed train) services link St-Etienne to Paris in just over 2.5 hours
- St-Etienne is only 40 minutes away from Lyon by train
- There is a TGV service every half an hour from Lyon to Paris
- 1,800 trains and 440,000 wagons a year pass through the Sibelin marshalling yard in Lyon
- Lyon is the second largest railway hub in France after Paris
- One million tonnes of goods are carried each year by train to or from Loire.
- Roanne in the north of Loire is served by the train station Creusot-Montchanin, with a TGV link to Paris
Connections By Air
Saint-Etienne-Boutheon Airport is located 12 km northwest of Saint-Etienne, and is used by low-cost airlines for destinations such as Corsica, Portugal and Turkey.
Other international airports include:
- Lyon Saint Exupery International Airport: 45 minutes from St Etienne by rail or road
- Geneva International Airport: 2 hours from St Etienne by rail or road
Lyon Saint Exupery International Airport has flights to most European cities, and to a number of African destinations. Geneva International Airports also has flights to the United States, the Middle East, and to Asia.
Closest Airport: Lyon Saint ExupéryFlights per week to Paris: 7 or more
Distance to Grenoble: Up to 150 kilometers (Up to 1.5 hour)
Distance to Geneva: Up to 200 kilometers (Up to 3 hours)
Connections By Freight Ports
The Port of Lyon Edouard Herriot is just 58 km away, and is a relay port of Marseilles/Fos. The port covers a surface of 210 hectares, the majority of which is reclaimed land.
Distance to Marseilles: Up to 300 kilometers (Up to 3 hours)Broadband / ICT Facilities
Loire has advanced high speed internet, with a 310 mile fibre optic network. Leading the way in high speed broadband for industrial companies and services, the Loire produced a “very high speed broadband” programme in 2006-2007 making the Saint-Etienne-Roanne area a unique technology park fitted with secure optical linkage for companies (114 activity zones).
Key Facts:
- 20,000 companies able to connect to the network
- 36 unbundled telephone exchanges
- Speeds of up to several gigabits
- 2 network head ends for better protection
- Unlimited speed ranges - Maximum protection
- LAN to LAN connectivity
- Virtual Private Network (IP VPN)
