The Chemins de fer de l'État ("State Railways"), often referred to in France as the Réseau de l'État ("State Network"), was an early
state-owned French railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...
company.
History
The company was established by state order of the
Third Republic on 25 May 1878 to take over ten small failing railway companies operating in the area between the rivers
Loire
The Loire (, also ; ; oc, Léger, ; la, Liger) is the longest river in France and the 171st longest in the world. With a length of , it drains , more than a fifth of France's land, while its average discharge is only half that of the Rhône ...
and
Garonne
The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna
or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux – a ...
:
*, 777 km, opened 1867;
*, 495 km, opened 1865;
*Compagnie du chemin de fer d’Orléans à Châlons, 293 km, opened 1873;
*
Compagnie du chemin de fer d'Orléans à Rouen (Réseau de l'Eure), 338 km, opened 1867;
*, 185 km, opened September 1875;
*Compagnie des chemins de fer de Maine-et- Loire et Nantes, 91 km, opened February 1877; ;
*Compagnie du chemin de fer de Bressuire à Poitiers;
*Compagnie du chemin de fer de Saint-Nazaire au Croisic;
*Compagnie du chemin de fer de Clermont à Tulle;
*Compagnie du chemin de fer de Poitiers à Saumur.
Additional acquisitions included:
*Compagnie Bordeaux – La Sauve, 29 km, opened May 1873, acquired by CF des Charentes in June 1874, sold to the PO in 1883
*Compagnie de la Seudre, circa 50 km, opened 1874, acquired by État July 1880;
*Compagnie Barbezieux – Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, opened 1872, acquired by État in 1893;
*Compagnie Alais – Rhone – Méditerranée, opened 1882, acquired by État in 1883.
On 18 November 1908, the État absorbed the
Chemins de fer de l'Ouest
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest (CF de l'Ouest), often referred to simply as ''L'Ouest'' or ''Ouest'', was an early French railway company which operated from the years 1855 through 1909.
History
Birth of the company
The Compa ...
and in 1934 took over the
Paris-Orléans (PO) company's lines in southern
Brittany
Brittany (; french: link=no, Bretagne ; br, Breizh, or ; Gallo language, Gallo: ''Bertaèyn'' ) is a peninsula, Historical region, historical country and cultural area in the west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known ...
. At its greatest extent its operating area comprised all the territory west of a line extending from
Dieppe
Dieppe (; Norman: ''Dgieppe'') is a coastal commune in the Seine-Maritime department in the Normandy region of northern France.
Dieppe is a seaport on the English Channel at the mouth of the river Arques. A regular ferry service runs to N ...
by way of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
to
Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefectur ...
. On 1 January 1938 the État merged with all the other French railway companies to form the
Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffic ...
(SNCF), becoming that company's Région Ouest. The État then took a seat on the SNCF's Board of Directors, as did all the other companies until 1982 when all traces of the constituents of the SNCF disappeared.
Ligne Paris-Bordeaux
One of the
PO's flagship lines was Paris-Orléans-Bordeaux. The État wished to create a competing line to the PO's. The PO line served
Tours
Tours ( , ) is one of the largest cities in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France. It is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Departments of France, department of Indre-et-Loire. The Communes of France, commune of Tours had 136,463 ...
,
Poitiers
Poitiers (, , , ; Poitevin: ''Poetàe'') is a city on the River Clain in west-central France. It is a commune and the capital of the Vienne department and the historical centre of Poitou. In 2017 it had a population of 88,291. Its agglomerat ...
, and
Angoulême
Angoulême (; Poitevin-Saintongeais: ''Engoulaeme''; oc, Engoleime) is a communes of France, commune, the Prefectures of France, prefecture of the Charente Departments of France, department, in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of southwestern Franc ...
, while the État decided to serve
Chartres
Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...
,
Courtalain
Courtalain () is a former commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Commune nouvelle d'Arrou.Saumur
Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...
,
Niort
Niort (; Poitevin: ''Niàu''; oc, Niòrt; la, Novioritum) is a commune in the Deux-Sèvres department, western France. It is the prefecture of Deux-Sèvres.
The population of Niort is 58,707 (2017) and more than 177,000 people live in the u ...
, and
Saintes, almost parallel to the competing line.
Thanks to purchases and exchanges made in 1878 with the PO, by 1884, the État operated:
*
Chartres
Chartres () is the prefecture of the Eure-et-Loir department in the Centre-Val de Loire region in France. It is located about southwest of Paris. At the 2019 census, there were 170,763 inhabitants in the metropolitan area of Chartres (as d ...
-
Courtalain
Courtalain () is a former commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Commune nouvelle d'Arrou.Bessé-sur-Braye
Bessé-sur-Braye (, literally ''Bessé on Braye'') is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.
See also
* Braye (river)
* Communes of the Sarthe department
The following is a list of the ...
-
Château-sur-Loir
*
Saumur
Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...
-
Montreuil-Bellay
Montreuil-Bellay () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
It is located approximately 15 km to the south of Saumur, and is famous for the Château de Montreuil-Bellay, which is situated in the town.
Montreuil-Be ...
*
Montreuil-Bellay
Montreuil-Bellay () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
It is located approximately 15 km to the south of Saumur, and is famous for the Château de Montreuil-Bellay, which is situated in the town.
Montreuil-Be ...
-
Saint-Jean-d'Angély
Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély.
Royal abbey
Founded in the ...
*
Saint-Jean-d'Angély
Saint-Jean-d'Angély (; Saintongeais: ''Sént-Jhan-d'Anjhéli'') is a commune in the Charente-Maritime department in southwestern France.
The commune has its historical origins in the Abbey of Saint-Jean-d'Angély.
Royal abbey
Founded in the ...
-
Saintes
*
Saintes -
Cavignac
Courtalain
Courtalain () is a former commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France. On 1 January 2017, it was merged into the new commune Commune nouvelle d'Arrou.Bessé-sur-Braye
Bessé-sur-Braye (, literally ''Bessé on Braye'') is a commune in the Sarthe department in the region of Pays de la Loire in north-western France.
See also
* Braye (river)
* Communes of the Sarthe department
The following is a list of the ...
was opened in 1885 as well as
Château-sur-Loir-
Saumur
Saumur () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France.
The town is located between the Loire and Thouet rivers, and is surrounded by the vineyards of Saumur itself, Chinon, Bourgueil, Coteaux du Layon, etc.. Saumur statio ...
-
Cavignac. At
La Grave d'Ambarès a junction with the
PO was built, and État trains linked Paris and Bordeaux on 11 July 1886.
The last line portion was the hardest to build. On 1 July 1893, an extension via Lormont was opened, Three years later, on 1 August 1896
Bordeaux-État was opened, welcoming trains from
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
The État's line was 610 km while the PO's was 582 km. These were the only competing lines in France. This lasted until 1938, date of the creation the
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
, when the PO line was kept.
The Dautry era
Raoul Dautry
Raoul Dautry (16 September 1880 – 21 August 1951) was a French engineer, business leader and politician. He was born on 16 September 1880 at Montluçon in the department of Allier; he died on 21 August 1951 at Lourmarin in the department of Vauc ...
became managing director of the Etat in 1928. His desires were to reconquer the railway company's clientele, especially due to the popularity of the car.
Dautry began many modernisation projects, including infrastructure, stations and the opening of new lines (mainly Paris-Chartres by
Gallardon
Gallardon () is a commune in the Eure-et-Loir department in northern France.
Population
See also
*Communes of the Eure-et-Loir department
The following is a list of the 365 communes of the Eure-et-Loir department of France.
The communes ...
). The electrification of the
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
-
Le Mans
Le Mans (, ) is a city in northwestern France on the Sarthe River where it meets the Huisne. Traditionally the capital of the province of Maine, it is now the capital of the Sarthe department and the seat of the Roman Catholic diocese of Le Man ...
line represents the biggest of his constructions, the line was at the time the most modern line in France.
Another one of his influences was the purchase of 600 new passenger cars. 50 of the cars were luxurious cars and were used on the new electrified line.
As early as 1929, the Etat began experimenting with
DMUs with a first order of
Renault
Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
trains. In 1931, an agreement is reached between
Michelin
Michelin (; ; full name: ) is a French multinational tyre manufacturing company based in Clermont-Ferrand in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes ''région'' of France. It is the second largest tyre manufacturer in the world behind Bridgestone and la ...
and the Etat, authorising trials of the ''
Micheline'' train. By 1933, the trains were used for expresses between
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and
Deauville
Deauville () is a commune in the Calvados department, Normandy, northwestern France. Major attractions include its harbour, race course, marinas, conference centre, villas, Grand Casino, and sumptuous hotels. The first Deauville Asian Film Fes ...
.
During the summer of 1937, the
French Government
The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who i ...
ruled in favour of the
nationalisation
Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to pri ...
of the
French railways. As a sign of disagreement, Dautry resigned, he was later elected into the
SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...
's managing council.
Line openings
Locomotives
Notes
References
*
External links
Advertising bookmarks of the Chemins de fer de l'État
{{DEFAULTSORT:Chemin de fer de l'Etat