At home in Clermont-Ferrand? It’s all a matter of accessibility, says Michelin

Discussions are currently underway over plans to extend the French rail network with a new, second high speed line between Paris and Lyon. The project is known as the LGV POCL (short for Paris, Orléans, Clermont-Ferrand and Lyon), and at present four potential routes are being evaluated. The decision ultimately arrived at is, French media sources indicate, of high interest to Michelin, whose headquarters are situated in Clermont-Ferrand. Michelin managing partner Michel Rollier is reported to have described the POCL line as key to Clermont-Ferrand’s continued attractiveness to the tyre maker.

According to regional newspaper La Montagne, Rollier remarked that Clermont-Ferrand’s appeal as Michelin’s main site may become an issue in future. At a meeting chaired by the Réseau Ferré de France (RFF), the organisation that owns and maintains the French rail network, Rollier lobbied in favour of the new rail link. He warned that although Michelin wishes to maintain its presence in Clermont-Ferrand, should the line not go ahead the town’s appeal to Michelin would diminish and it may become difficult for the company to continue its presence there. Michelin’s management and staff need to be able to work in Clermont-Ferrand and travel with ease to Paris and other major French cities, he added.

A decision on the POCL line will be made in mid-2012, La Montagne shared.