On 28 July 2011, the 25-year public–private partnership (PPP) contract, valued at €3·3 billion, which covered the construction and maintenance of LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire was signed in Paris by RFF President Hubert du Mesniland and Pierre Berger, the Managing Director of Eiffage. The arrangement covered not only the 182 km high speed line that would be newly built between Le Mans and Rennes, but also an additional 32 km of connecting track between the new line and the existing railway network. One day later, an associated funding agreement for the programme was signed by the Minister for Ecology, Energy, Sustainable Development & Planning Jean-Louis Borloo. At this time, preliminary studies of the route were scheduled to take place between May 2011 and July 2012, while actual construction activity was intended to commence during the autumn of 2012. The line was projected to be completed sometime in late 2016.