Three hundred and forty kilometres of works, nine thousand employees, fifteen hundred machines: three figures that portray the largest linear building site in Europe, the new high-speed line between Tours and Bordeaux, built in only six years. Marc Montméat was able to place his gaze freely on this exceptional site for five years. He delivers an interpretation that plunges the reader into a singular and little known reality where the elements — earth, water, steel, concrete, people — tell a story of modernity. By connecting Paris to Bordeaux in two hours instead of three and a quarter, the line brings cities closer and contributes to the mobility of whole population basins, while other national and trans-European destinations benefit from the new section.