This article contains information about the 5 metre-gauge railways in operation in France: Chemins de fer de la Corse, Chemins de Fer de Provence, Ligne de Cerdagne (known as “Le Train Jaune”), Mont-Blanc Express and Ligne du Blanc-Argent.
Chemins de Fer de la Corse
The Chemins de Fer de la Corse line in Corsica is divided into two sections, the first between Bastia and Ajaccio, 158km long, and the second between Calvi and Ponte-Leccia, 74km long.
This is a single-track, metre-gauge line with 67 first and second category level crossings, 57 tunnels, 6 of which are between 300 and 1000 metres long, and 2 of which are longer than 1000 metres.
The cumulative length of the tunnels is around 14km, spread over the “central” line between Bastia and Ajaccio and the “Balagne” line between Ponte-Leccia and Calvi.
The infrastructure is fairly uneven because of the topography. The line crosses a large part of the island and encounters a unique environment alternating between mountains, roads and water courses.
The Vizzavona tunnel is the longest at 3,956 metres and the highest point on the network is 910 metres.
Chemins de Fer de Provence
The Chemins de Fer de Provence line is a single-track, metre-gauge line that runs a distance of around 150 kilometres between Nice and Digne.
The line starts at near-sea level in Nice and climbs to over 1000 m between Annot and St André les Alpes (culminating at 1013 m).
It has 20 stations and 48 stops. The line has 71 first or second category level crossings. The line also features a large number of tunnels (just under 30), including 4 over 800m long and one over 3000m long (the Colle Saint-Michel tunnel).
This line can be broken down into 2 main segments: A first “lower section” or “peri-urban section” between Nice and La Vésubie-Plan du Var, operated by a computerised Automated Block, and a second “upper section” or “interurban section” beyond La Vésubie, operated by telephone block system.
2018 Metre-gauge rail -rovence | photo STRMTG
Cerdagne line (known as “Le Train Jaune”)
The Cerdagne line is a single-track, metre-gauge line that runs a distance of around 62 kilometres between Nice Villefranche-de-Conflent and Latour-de-Carol. It has 8 stations and 14 stops.
The line runs from Villefranche-Vernet-les-bains station, in transition with the standard gauge railroad line from Perpignan, to Latour-de-Carol, where it makes the transition with the Spanish rail network and the standard gauge line to Toulouse.
The infrastructure features numerous engineering structures, including 19 tunnels and 2 remarkable bridges (Séjourné viaduct and Gisclard bridge).
This mountain line culminates at an altitude of 1592 m at the Col de la Perche and includes the Bolquère station, the highest station on the national rail network, and gradients reaching 60 ‰ with simple grip. The tracks are electrified with an 850 V Cc power supply via a third rail.
The line from St-Gervais-le-Fayet to Vallorcine-frontière is the French section of a single-track, metre-gauge line connecting St-Gervais-les-bains, Chamonix (France) and Martigny in the canton of Valais (Switzerland).
The French section is 37 km long, has 10 stations and 9 stops, and is served by “Mont-Blanc Express” services along the entire international line and by peri-urban services within the Chamonix valley.
At the St-Gervais-le-Fayet station, it is connected to the national standard gauge rail network to Annecy and Annemasse.
As a mountain line, it has numerous engineering structures, bridges, viaducts and tunnels, including the 1900 m-long Les Montets tunnel, which has the particularity of being operated alternately as a road tunnel. The gradients on the French line can reach 90 ‰ with simple grip, while the Swiss section has a cog railway system.
Electric traction is based on an 800 V DC power supply via a 3rd rail.
The single-track, metre-gauge Le Blanc-Argent line, which runs between Salbris and Valençay over a distance of around 56 km, is the result of a more extensive line linking Le Blanc to Argent/Sauldre.
The line is connected to the Paris-Orléans-Limoges-Toulouse line at Salbris station, and to the Tours-Vierzon line at Gièvres station. Valençay station is linked to the Bas-Berry tourist train. It serves Romorantin station and 12 full-line establishments.
This lowland line features numerous level crossings (over 130), especially category 2 crossings, and numerous engineering structures and earthworks. Gradients do not exceed 15‰.