The Brive-la-Gaillarde - Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway is a 248-kilometre
French railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport using wheeled vehicles running in railway track, tracks, which usually consist of two parallel steel railway track, rails. Rail transport is one of the two primary means of ...
line that connects the rural areas between
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the aggl ...
and the large southern city of
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
via
Figeac
Figeac (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the southwestern French Departments of France, department of Lot (department), Lot. Figeac is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department.
Geography
Figeac is on the via Podiensis ...
and
Capdenac. The railway was opened in several stages between 1858 and 1864.
Route
The Brive-la-Gaillarde–Toulouse railway leaves the
Brive-la-Gaillarde station
Brive-la-Gaillarde is a railway station serving the town of Brive-la-Gaillarde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The station opened on 17 September 1860 and is located on the Orléans–Montauban railway, Coutras–Tulle railway, Brive-Toulouse (vi ...
in a southeastern direction, towards
Saint-Denis-près-Martel station. Here, the line to
Aurillac station leaves in an easterly direction and the preserved line to
Martel in a westerly direction. The line soon crosses the
River Dordogne and follows the valley for a short while before it opens out into flat land. The
Figeac station
Figeac is a railway station in Figeac, Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie, France. The station is a ''keilbahnhof'', situated at the junction of the Brive-la-Gaillarde - Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway, Brive–Toulouse (via Capdenac) ...
is on two curves, where the line from Aurillac station joins. Shortly after leaving Figeac the railway travels through a 1.3 km tunnel and then travels alongside the
River Lot and the preserved railway from
Cahors
Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...
joins; but this line has been disused since 2003. At
Capdenac station the line to
Rodez station leaves in an easterly direction. The line continues south from here, where after 95 km the line from
Albi station and Rodez station join at
Tessonnières station
Tessonnières is a railway station in Tessonnières, Occitanie region in southern France. It is on the Brive–Toulouse (via Capdenac) and Tessonnières to Albi railway lines. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by SNCF
...
, although most interchanges are made at
Gaillac station
Gaillac is a railway station in Gaillac, Occitanie, France. Located on the Brive–Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway line, the station is served by TER (local) services operated by SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français ...
. From here the line twists and turns around the
River Tarn until
Saint-Sulpice-sur-Tarn station where the river heads northwest. At Saint-Sulpice the line from
Castres station joins and the former line to
Montauban
Montauban (, ; ) is a commune in the southern French department of Tarn-et-Garonne. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, and the sixth most populated of Oc ...
leaves. The line continues a further 30 km before arriving at its southern terminus of
Toulouse-Matabiau station
Toulouse-Matabiau is the main railway station in Toulouse, southern France. It is in the city centre and connected to the Toulouse Metro. The station is situated on the Bordeaux–Sète railway, Toulouse–Bayonne railway, Brive–Toulouse (vi ...
.
Main stations
The main stations on the Brive - Toulouse railway are:
*
Brive-la-Gaillarde station
Brive-la-Gaillarde is a railway station serving the town of Brive-la-Gaillarde, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France. The station opened on 17 September 1860 and is located on the Orléans–Montauban railway, Coutras–Tulle railway, Brive-Toulouse (vi ...
*
Figeac station
Figeac is a railway station in Figeac, Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie, France. The station is a ''keilbahnhof'', situated at the junction of the Brive-la-Gaillarde - Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway, Brive–Toulouse (via Capdenac) ...
*
Capdenac station
*
Gaillac station
Gaillac is a railway station in Gaillac, Occitanie, France. Located on the Brive–Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway line, the station is served by TER (local) services operated by SNCF
The Société nationale des chemins de fer français ...
*
Saint-Sulpice-sur-Tarn station
*
Toulouse-Matabiau station
Toulouse-Matabiau is the main railway station in Toulouse, southern France. It is in the city centre and connected to the Toulouse Metro. The station is situated on the Bordeaux–Sète railway, Toulouse–Bayonne railway, Brive–Toulouse (vi ...
History
The first section that was opened in 1858 led from
Lexos to
Capdenac. Capdenac and
Brive-la-Gaillarde
Brive-la-Gaillarde (; Limousin dialect of ), commonly known as simply Brive, is a commune of France. It is a sub-prefecture and the largest city of the Corrèze department. It has around 46,000 inhabitants, while the population of the aggl ...
were connected in 1862. Finally, the line was extended from Lexos to
Toulouse
Toulouse (, ; ; ) is a city in southern France, the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Haute-Garonne department and of the Occitania (administrative region), Occitania region. The city is on the banks of the Garonne, River Garonne, from ...
in 1864.
[
Before the opening of this line in 1864, trains between Paris and Toulouse would travel via ]Tours
Tours ( ; ) is the largest city 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 inhabita ...
and Bordeaux
Bordeaux ( ; ; Gascon language, Gascon ; ) is a city on the river Garonne in the Gironde Departments of France, department, southwestern France. A port city, it is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the Prefectures in F ...
. The line remained the main link between Paris and Toulouse until 1891 when the Brive–Cahors
Cahors (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the western part of Southern France. It is the smallest prefecture among the 13 departments that constitute the Occitania (administrative region), Occitanie Region. The capital and main city of t ...
section of the Orléans–Montauban railway was opened.
In 2010 a complete renewal of all the ballast between Capdenac and Tessonnières (95 km) took place.
Accident
On 3 August 1985 at 3:48 p.m., at the height of Flaujac-Gare, there was a serious train accident involving a Corail intercity train towards Assier and a train towards Gramat.
Services
The Brive–Toulouse railway is used by the following passenger services:
*Intercités de nuit
Intercités (IC), known before September 2009 as ''Corail Intercités'', is a brand name used by France's national railway company, the SNCF, to denote non High-speed rail in France, high-speed services on the classic rail network in France.
The ...
night trains from Paris to Albi on the section between Brive and Capdenac
*TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes
TER Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes is the regional rail network serving the region of Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, central and eastern France. It is operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It was formed in 2017 from the previous TER networks TER ...
, TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine
TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine is the regional rail network serving the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It was formed in 2017 from the previous TER networks TER Aquitaine, TE ...
and TER Occitanie
TER Occitanie or liO Train is the regional rail network serving the region of Occitanie, southern France. It is operated by the French national railway company SNCF. It was formed in 2017 from the previous TER networks TER Languedoc-Roussillo ...
regional services on the whole line
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Brive-la-Gaillarde-Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway
Railway lines in Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Railway lines in Occitania (administrative region)
Railway lines opened in 1858
Standard-gauge railways in France