The Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway (
French: ''Ligne de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet à Vallorcine''), also known as the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine Line, is a
single-track long
metre gauge 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 ...
in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
connecting the
SNCF's
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet station with
Vallorcine station and the
border
Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...
with
Switzerland (
Le Châtelard) through
Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...
.
Le Châtelard
Opened in stages between 1901 and 1908 by the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée
The Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée ("Railway Company of Paris to Lyon and the Mediterranean"), also known as the Chemins de fer Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée or simply PLM, established in 1857, was one of Fran ...
(PLM), it is part of the main SNCF network as far as Vallorcine. To Le Châtelard () is run by the Swiss company Transports de Martigny et Régions
The Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR) company in the Valais canton of Switzerland operates bus and coach services and two electric railway lines:
* Martigny–Châtelard Railway (MC), , with the ''Mont-Blanc Express''
* Martigny–Orsières ...
(TMR), which also operates the Martigny–Châtelard Railway
The Martigny–Châtelard Railway, abbreviated MC, French ''Chemins de fer Martigny–Châtelard'', is a rack railway in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.
The transport company "Chemin de fer de Martigny–Châtelard" merged in 2001, the r ...
.
History
* 1886: Granting of the concession for the Cluses–Chamonix line to the PLM (first concession for a general interest electric line in France)
* 3 July 1893: Authorisation for the PLM to build the Saint-Gervais to Chamonix section as metre gauge
* June 1899: Start of works on the first section
* 25 July 1901: Opening to Chamonix, 19 km or 11.8 mi (official opening on 12 July)
* 25 July 1906: Extension to Argentière
* 1 November 1907: Boring of the Col des Montets tunnel
* 1 July 1908: Junction with the Martigny–Châtelard Railway
The Martigny–Châtelard Railway, abbreviated MC, French ''Chemins de fer Martigny–Châtelard'', is a rack railway in the canton of Valais, Switzerland.
The transport company "Chemin de fer de Martigny–Châtelard" merged in 2001, the r ...
* 1958: Introduction of Z 600 EMUs
* 1997: Introduction of Z 800 EMUs
* 2006: Introduction of Z 850 EMUs; frequency increase between Argentière and Vallorcine
* 17 July 2009: Official opening of Chamonix-Aiguille-du-Midi station
Chamonix-Aiguille-du-Midi station (french: Gare de Chamonix-Aiguille-du-Midi) is a railway station in the commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, in the French department of Haute-Savoie. It is located on the gauge Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine line of S ...
Geography
Stations
*
* Chedde
* Servoz
* Vaudagne (request stop)
* Viaduc Sainte Marie (request stop)
* Les Houches
Les Houches () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Eastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 2,943.
Overview
Les Houches, located 6 kilometres from Chamonix, is a ski resort with a domain wh ...
* Taconnaz (request stop)
* Les Bossons
* Les Pélerins
* Les Moussoux (request stop)
* Aiguille du Midi
* Chamonix Mont-Blanc
* Les Praz
* Les Tines
* La Joux (request stop)
* Argentière
Argentière () is a picturesque skiing, alpine walking and mountaineering village in the French Alps, part of the commune of Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, at an altitude of .Saint-Gervais-les-Bains
Saint-Gervais-les-Bains () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, southeastern France.
The village is best known for tourism and has been a popular holiday destination since the early 1900s.
It has of ...
Le Fayet, with the standard gauge SNCF line from Aix-les-Bains
Aix-les-Bains (, ; frp, Èx-los-Bens; la, Aquae Gratianae), locally simply Aix, is a commune in the southeastern French department of Savoie. via Annecy and La Roche-sur-Foron (including TGV
The TGV (french: Train à Grande Vitesse, "high-speed train"; previously french: TurboTrain à Grande Vitesse, label=none) is France's intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF. SNCF worked on a high-speed rail network from 1966 to 19 ...
s from Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
in the winter); and the Mont Blanc tramway (TMB) rack railway
A rack railway (also rack-and-pinion railway, cog railway, or cogwheel railway) is a steep grade railway with a toothed rack rail, usually between the running rails. The trains are fitted with one or more cog wheels or pinions that mesh with th ...
.
* At Chamonix, with the Montenvers Railway, a rack railway.
* In Switzerland, at Le Châtelard, with the Martigny-Châtelard rack railway, which continues to Martigny
Martigny (; german: Martinach, ; la, Octodurum) is the capital city of the district of Martigny, canton of Valais, Switzerland. It lies at an elevation of , and its population is approximately 15000 inhabitants (''Martignerains'' or "Octoduriens ...
where it connects with the Lausanne–Brig line of the CFF.
Technical information
* Track gauge
In rail transport, track gauge (in American English, alternatively track gage) is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many ...
: .
* Profile: uphill from the Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet (altitude: ) to the col des Montets tunnel (altitude ) then downhill to the border (altitude ). The steepest grade, between Servoz and les Houches
Les Houches () is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of Eastern France. In 2017, it had a population of 2,943.
Overview
Les Houches, located 6 kilometres from Chamonix, is a ski resort with a domain wh ...
is 9% over , a record for an adhesion
Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or surfaces to cling to one another ( cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles/surfaces to cling to one another).
The forces that cause adhesion and cohesion can b ...
railway. On the steepest sections (4% and more), it had a central rail for braking (and keeping trains immobile in case of electric black-outs), through jaws gripping the rail; it was removed around 1980.
* Electrification through top-contact third rail
A third rail, also known as a live rail, electric rail or conductor rail, is a method of providing electric power to a railway locomotive or train, through a semi-continuous rigid conductor placed alongside or between the rails of a railway ...
at 850 V (580 V originally) direct current
Direct current (DC) is one-directional flow of electric charge. An electrochemical cell is a prime example of DC power. Direct current may flow through a conductor such as a wire, but can also flow through semiconductors, insulators, or eve ...
.
* Main structures:
** Three viaducts, including the Sainte-Marie viaduct in the Houches over the Arve
The Arve (french: L'Arve, ) is a river in France (''département'' of Haute-Savoie), and Switzerland (canton of Geneva). A left tributary of the Rhône, it is long, of which 9 km in Switzerland. Its catchment area is , of which 80 km2 ...
** Several anti-avalanche galleries
** Col des Montets tunnel
A tunnel is an underground passageway, dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, and enclosed except for the entrance and exit, commonly at each end. A pipeline is not a tunnel, though some recent tunnels have used immersed tube cons ...
, long.
* Control: A command post, named PC Éclair (ECLAIR, or “lightning”, standing for Exploitation Centralisée des Lignes Assistée par Informatique et Radio, which translates to Centralised Control of the Lines Assisted by Computers and Radio), installed in 1991 at Saint-Gervais station, allows centralised control with the help of radio and computers.
Rolling stock
* Three Z 850 electric multiple units (EMUs) made by Stadler. Three additional trainsets were slated to arrive before 2008.
* Five Z 800 105-seat EMUs, delivered in 1997 by ADTranz and Vevey Technologies in a joint purchase with the Martigny-Châtelard. This 1000 kW stock, composed of two motor cars, can run at ; it is rack and pinion equipped, and has pantographs in addition to 3rd rail equipment, so that it run to Martigny.
* Eight Z 600 EMUs and four additional trailers (some out of service), used in busy periods.
* Snowploughs:
** Z 691 (electric)
** Beilhack CN4 (diesel)
* The original Z 200 motor cars have been retired.
* Service wagons: Flats (U 20201 - U 20203) and ballast-carrying (U 20204 and U 20205 (?)).
Activity
This line carries about 500,000 passengers per year, with wide variation: from 500 people per day in the least busy periods up to 10,000 per day in summer and 2500 per day in winter for the ski season. The customer base is quite diverse, from international travellers connecting with the TGVs, to local transportation, most notably for schoolchildren. It is a tourist line and a public service at the same time.
Through trains between Saint-Gervais and Martigny run under the “Mont-Blanc Express” brand.
Since 2005 travel has been free between Servoz and Vallorcine for those with a Chamonix
Chamonix-Mont-Blanc ( frp, Chamôni), more commonly known as Chamonix, is a commune in the Haute-Savoie department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of southeastern France. It was the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. In 2019, it had ...
residency card and for valley inhabitants.
References
External links
Train du Mont-Blanc, dedicated to the line
Photos-trains
(in French) ha
pictures
of rolling stock
{{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine Railway
Haute-Savoie
Mountain railways
Metre gauge railways in France
Railway lines in Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
Railway lines opened in 1901