Moret–Lyon railway

The railway from Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons to Lyon is a French 492-kilometre long railway line, that connects the Paris region to the city Lyon via Nevers and Saint-Étienne. The railway was opened in several stages between 1828 and 1861. The section between Saint-Étienne and Saint-Just-sur-Loire was the first railway line in France.[3] It has functioned as an alternative (but longer) line for the Paris–Marseille railway between Paris and Lyon. Its main use, besides local traffic, is now for the connection between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand.

Moret–Lyon railway
Feurs railway station
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerRFF
LocaleFrance (Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté, Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes)
Termini
Stations61
Service
SystemSNCF
Operator(s)SNCF
History
Opened1828-1861
Technical
Line length492 km (306 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track[1]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification1.5 kV DC Moret–Montargis, St-Étienne–Lyon;
25 kV 50 Hz Montargis–St-Germain-d-F;
St-Germain-d-F–St-Étienne not electrified[2]
Route map

Line to Paris
66.8
Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons
Line to Marseille
75.0
Montigny-sur-Loing
78.5
Bourron-Marlotte-Grez
79.1
to Malesherbes
86.3
Nemours-Saint-Pierre
90.7
Bagneaux-sur-Loing
96.8
Souppes-Château-Landon
101.3
Dordives
107.3
Ferrières-Fontenay
116.9
from Malesherbes
117.7
Montargis
118.1
to Triguères
123.6
1.5 kV DC to 25 kV 50 Hz
135.1
Nogent-sur-Vernisson
154.3
Gien
164.0
Briare
195.1
Cosne-sur-Loire
204.7
Tracy-Sancerre
214.0
Pouilly-sur-Loire
219.9
Mesves-Bulcy
227.0
La Charité
231.7
La Marche
235.0
Tronsanges
240.1
Pougues-les-Eaux
244.0
Garchizy
246.6
Fourchambault
250.9
Vauzelles
251.9
Lines from Chagny and Clamecy
253.0
Nevers
253.7
River Loire
262.9
Line to Vierzon
263.6
Saincaize
280.7
Saint-Pierre-le-Moûtier
289.9
Chantenay-Saint-Imbert
299.6
Villeneuve-sur-Allier
313.1
Moulins-sur-Allier
313.3
to Montluçon
313.4
Line to Paray-le-Monial and Mâcon
326.5
Bessay
332.7
to Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule
341.4
Varennes-sur-Allier
347.8
Créchy
351.1
Billy-Marcenat
354.4
Saint-Germain-des-Fossés
from Clermont-Ferrand via Gannat
354.8
to Clermont-Ferrand via Vichy
end of electrification
371.7
Lapalisse-Saint-Prix
378.5
Arfeuilles-Le Breuil
388.5
Saint-Martin-Sail-les-Bains
397.5
La Pacaudière
407.7
Saint-Germain-Lespinasse
420.5
Roanne
422.3
River Loire
423.1
Le Coteau
423.2
Line to Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d'Or
430.5
Saint-Cyr-de-Favières
441.7
Saint-Jódard
452.1
Balbigny
461.4
Feurs
472.6
Montrond-les-Bains
482.2
Saint-Galmier-Veauche
487.3
Bouthéon
start of electrification 1.5 kV DC
489.5
Line from Clermont-Ferrand
492.7
La Fouillouse
496.8
Villars
499.2
Saint-Étienne-La Terrasse
501.8
from Le Puy-en-Velay
502.1
Saint-Étienne-Châteaucreux
513.5
Saint-Chamond
518.1
La Grand-Croix
523.1
Rive-de-Gier
537.8
Givors-Ville
from Nîmes (right Rhône bank)
539.3
Givors-Canal
to Chasse-sur-Rhône (left Rhône bank)
to Tassin
541.7
Grigny-le-Sablon
546.1
Vernaison
553.6
Pierre-Bénite
555.1
Oullins
556.7
River Saône
Line from Marseille and Lyon-Part-Dieu
558.8
Lyon-Perrache
559.1
River Saône
Line to Paris

Route

The line branches off the Paris–Marseille railway at the Moret–Veneux-les-Sablons station, and leaves in a southwestern direction. It follows the river Loing upstream, turning south near Nemours and passing through Montargis, where it leaves the Loing. At Gien it starts following the river Loire upstream along its right bank, in a generally southern direction. It passes through Cosne-sur-Loire, and the railway junction Nevers, where it crosses the Loire. At Saincaize the line to Bourges branches off.

From Saincaize, the line follows the right Allier bank south. It passes through Moulins. At Saint-Germain-des-Fossés two lines to Clermont-Ferrand (one via Gannat, one via Vichy) branch off. The Moret–Lyon railway leaves the Allier and turns east. It passes through the Monts de la Madeleine, northern foothills of the Massif Central. It crosses the Loire between Roanne and Le Coteau, where the shorter line to Lyon via Tarare branches off.

This is where the oldest section of the line starts. It continues south, parallel to the Loire, passing through Feurs and along Andrézieux-Bouthéon, where it meets the line from Clermont-Ferrand via Montbrison. At Saint-Étienne the line from Le Puy-en-Velay joins, and the line continues northeast through Saint-Chamond and Rive-de-Gier. At Givors on the river Rhône it turns north, finally arriving in Lyon after 492 km.

Main stations

The main stations on the Moret–Lyon railway are:

History

The first railways that were opened in France were primarily meant for freight traffic in the mining area around the industrial city Saint-Étienne. These railways were united in the Compagnie du chemin de fer Grand-Central de France in 1853, and at the dissolution of that company in 1857 the eastern part of the Grand-Central network was bought by the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée.[4]

The first section of the Moret–Lyon railway that was opened in 1828 led from Saint-Étienne to Saint-Just-sur-Loire. Saint-Étienne and Lyon were connected between 1830 and 1833. In 1834 the line was extended in northern direction from Saint-Just to Le Coteau, near Roanne. In 1850 a line from Nevers to Saincaize was built. This section was extended south to Varennes-sur-Allier in 1853, to Saint-Germain-des-Fossés in 1854 and to Lapalisse in 1857. Lapalisse and Le Coteau were connected in 1858. In the north, Moret–Veneux-les-Sablons on the Paris–Marseille railway was connected to Montargis in 1860. Finally in 1861 the section from Montargis to Nevers was opened.[3]

Services

The Moret–Lyon railway is used by the following passenger services:

References

  1. "RFF - Network map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18.
  2. "RFF - Map of electrified railway lines" (PDF).
  3. Direction Générale des Ponts et Chaussées et des Chemins de Fer (1869). Statistique centrale des chemins de fer. Chemins de fer français. Situation au 31 décembre 1869 (in French). Paris: Ministère des Travaux Publics. pp. 146–160.
  4. Joanne, Adolphe (1859). Atlas historique et statistique des chemins de fer français (in French). Paris: L. Hachette. p. 39.
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