Geneva and the surrounding areas have long sought to reduce the rail journey time to Paris. Before the decision was taken to use the Haut Bugey line, several other options were considered. The one with the greatest impact would be the construction of a new high speed line (HSL) from Macon to Geneva. This option was broadly supported by the cantons of Geneva, Vaud, Valais as well as the départements of Ain and Haute-Savoie, and a detailed feasibility study was done by the French group Sofrérail and the Swiss group Bonnard et Gardel.