Page 360 - 360.revista de Alta Velocidad - Nº 6

Facchinetti-Mannone,Valérie.

taking the contextual elements previously highlighted, the modalities of speech articulation,
the allusive references and the stylistic registers into account. into account
The analysis of the image of high speed rail conveyed by Territorial Coherence Plans confirms the
unequal role of the new transport supply (see figure 4). Thus, high-speed rail and HSR stations
are mentioned only 13 times, usually laconically, in the SCOT of Pays Barrois, in which the first
mention of high speed rail, appearing very late compared to other SCOTs, refers to the noise
pollution caused by the rail traffic. Presented in the very first pages of territorial diagnosis,
high-speed rail is the subject of more numerous references in the presentation reports of Great
Besançon (28 references) and Great Rovaltain (39 references), most often under the form of
extensively argued paragraphs.
A first quantitative analysis of the words associated with stations and high speed rail also reveals
distinct representations of the traditionally established link between railway accessibility and
territorial attractiveness. Thus, while the SCOT of Pays Barrois conveys a rather negative image of
high speed rail, that of Great Besançon highlights the link between a widely idealized European
openness and the economic development of the urban area with numerous hyperboles. For the
SCOT of Great Rovaltain, the HSR station and the economic activity zone to which it is systematically
associated are major vectors of European reach, development and territorial cohesion.

Fig.4: Hierarchy and connotation of the words associated with high-speed rail

The joint analysis of the role devoted to HSR stations in the territorial project and that of
their symbolic representations reveals the unequal appropriation of high speed rail by local
actors. Beyond the specificities of the served regions, this unequal appropriation reflects the
degree of local actors’ involvement in the choice of the location of stations. When, as in
Besançon or Valence, local actors played an active role in the negotiations leading up to the
implementation of stations, the territorialization of high speed rail is based on the adoption of
development strategies that are largely integrated into the territorial project. It is also based
on the construction of representations which exploit the mythical link between accessibility
and attractiveness to serve the achievement of this project. Reflecting institutional actors’
expectations, these imaginary constructions play an essential role in the territorialization of
high-speed rail because they influence the measures and policies adopted to enhance the spatial
integration of stations. In the Pays Barrois where the appropriation of HSR is governed by an
“intrusive logic”, the SCOT describes the station as a foreign object, over-imposed on territory,

358 360.revista de alta velocidad