Argentan – Granville railway line
| Argentan-Granville | |
|---|---|
 Route map
| |
| Route number (SNCF) : | 405,000 |
| Route length: | 131 km |
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) |
| Maximum slope : | 10 ‰ |
| Top speed: | 160 km / h |
The Argentan – Granville railway is a railway line in France . It is part of the connection between Paris-Montparnasse and the port city of Granville in Normandy .
history
The railway line was built in several construction phases between 1866 and 1870. The individual sections were opened as follows:
- On July 2, 1866 from Argentan to Flers -Embranchement on the railway line from Le Mans to Mézidon
- On September 16, 1867 from Flers to Vire
- From Vire to Granville on July 3, 1870
The construction of the 133 km long line, which branches off the Le Mans-Mézidon railway line , was imposed on the new Chemins de fer de l'Ouest with the government decree of 7 April 1855 to merge several predecessor companies. The same applied to the branches Saint-Martin-d'Écublei to Conches on the one hand and Serquigny-Oissel on the other. The French state and the developed municipalities made two million francs available for the construction. The building project was approved in 1861. With the completion it was possible to run the trains coming from Paris, which had ended in Surdon up to now, on the railway line Saint-Cyr-Surdon to the Atlantic coast. This gave the port of Granville a direct connection with the French capital. In addition, rural parts of the Basse-Normandie region were connected to the railway network.
However, the Franco-German War that broke out a few days after the line was opened and the subsequent advance of the German armies to the siege of Paris meant that from September 18, 1870, trains from Granville could only run to Dreux . The traffic to Nonancourt and finally on January 12, 1871 to Argentan had to be withdrawn gradually . After the end of the war, traffic increased, and from 1878 the Chemin de fer de l'Ouest offered so-called pleasure trains to Granville.
In 1895, a train coming from Granville in Paris caused the spectacular railway accident at Gare Montparnasse , in which the train's locomotive broke through the station building.
Route sections
The first 43 km long section between Argentan and Flers branches off about three km west of Argentan from the Le Mans – Mézidon railway . The earthworks and the construction of track structures began in 1863 and required funds of 6.5 million francs. After the line opened on July 2, 1866, the first trains needed a journey time of one hour and 25 minutes for the line.
The second, 29 km long section was built between Flers and Vire in 1865. On September 16, 1867, the line was put into operation, the first trains between Argentan and the new end point in Vire took two hours and 35 minutes. The travel time to Paris Montparnasse at that time was eight hours and 10 minutes, with 33 intermediate stops being served. Due to the rapid development of traffic between Argentan and Vire, a loading ramp for cattle was set up in Briouze and a goods shed was set up in Messei. Sidings and loading ramps for local lime kilns were built in Écouché.
The last, 57 km long section was built between 1867 and 1870. In 1867, work was carried out on the sections in the Calvados department , and in the Manche department the following year . On July 3, 1870, the line was put into operation in time for the summer bathing season. The travel time for the entire 328 km long connection from Paris to Granville was 11 hours and 20 minutes with normal passenger trains, with 40 intermediate stops being served. Express trains served only 18 stops, which reduced the travel time to seven hours and 40 minutes.
At first the route runs in the plain before the mountain ridges of the Armorican massif are reached. The route leads through valleys that are sometimes deeply cut (such as the Ornetal and the Viretal ). The gradient reaches a maximum of 10 to 12 ‰. Between Argentan and Flers, the route crosses the river valleys there several times. After Flers it leads through the local bocage landscape and is winding because it goes around numerous hills.
Permissible speeds
For V160 trains, i.e. trains that are approved by the SNCF for a maximum speed of 160 km / h, including the Intercités on the route, the following maximum speeds apply on the route. The permitted speeds for freight trains are significantly lower.
| From | To | v max |
| Argentan (km 0) | km 3.6 | 140 |
| km 3.6 | km 18.6 | 150 |
| km 18.6 | km 38.3 | 160 |
| km 38.3 | Montsecret - Vassy (km 56.8) | 150 |
| Montsecret - Vassy (km 56.8) | Folligny (km 116.3) | 140 |
| Folligny (km 116.3) | km 124.4 | 160 |
| km 124.4 | Granville (km 130.7) | 140 |
equipment
The line was modernized between 1994 and 1999, although sections of the line, which had previously been double-tracked, were reduced to one track. It is only two-pronged between Briouze and Flers and between Folligny and Granville. The permissible maximum speeds could be increased in sections. The line between Argentan and Granville is equipped with block automatique à permissivité restreinte (BAPR).
Train stations
Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap
The following train stations are also served between Argentan and Granville:
The following stations are normally no longer served, they can be served for larger groups or similar on request.
- Fromentel
- Bellou-en-Houlme
- Messei
- Cerisi-Belle-Étoile
- Montsecret - Vassy
- Bernières-le-Patry
- Viessoix
- Mesnil Clinchamps
- Saint-Aubin (Calvados)
- Saint-Planchers
Individual evidence
- ↑ Histoire chronologique des chemins de fer européens et russes .
- ^ François et Maguy Palau, Le rail en France - Tome III, 1864 - 1870 , p. 73.
- ^ Renseignements techniques (RT) SNCF / RFF
literature
- François et Maguy Palau, Le rail en France - Tome III, 1864 - 1870 , 2004 , 239 p. ISBN 978-2-9509421-3-5