Moulins – Mâcon railway line

Moulins – Mâcon
Gilly-sur-Loire station, 2014
Route number (SNCF) :	770,000
Course book range :	34, 88, 89
Route length:	144 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	22  ‰
Dual track :	between Gilly and Paray-le-Monial
Legend Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons-Lyon-Perrache railway from Nevers 313.1 Moulins-sur-Allier 222 m 313.3 Railway Montluçon – Moulins to Montluçon 313.4 0.3 Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons-Lyon-Perrache railway to Clermont-Ferrand 13.2 Montbeugny (264 m) 19.6 Acolin (12 m) 20.2 Thiel-sur-Acolin 243 m ~ 27.1 D 779 (formerly N 488 ) 27.8 Dompierre- Sept-Fons 234 m 30.1 Canal de la Besbre (13 m) 30.5 Besbre (78 m) ~ 32.0 D 779 (formerly N 488) 34.1 Diou 230 m ~ 34.3 D 779 (formerly N 488) 35.2 Canal latéral à la Loire (15 m) 35.4 Loire (287 m); Allier / Saône-et-Loire department ~ 35.5 D 979 (formerly N 79 ) Clamecy – Gilly-sur-Loire railway from Cercy-la-Tour 36.9 Gilly-sur-Loire 232 m ~ 41.1 D 979 (formerly N 79) 46.6 Saint-Agnan 228 m ~ 46.8 D 979 (formerly N 79) 54.6 Arroux (109 m) 55.7 Digoin 234 m ~ 55.8 D 994 (formerly N 494 ) 56.6 Canal du Center (21 m) ~ 65.6 D 979 (formerly N 79) Le Coteau – Montchanin railway from Roanne 67.0 Paray-le-Monial 250 m Paray-le-Monial – Givors Canal to Givors railway line Le Coteau – Montchanin railway line to Montchanin ~ 75.1 D 17 (formerly N 79) ~ 75.2 N 79 ~ 81.0 N 79 ~ 82.0 D 17 (formerly N 79) 82.2 Charolles 87.1 Vendenesse 93.7 Beaubery 96.5 Les Terreaux Tunnel du col de Vaux (528 m) ( Atlantic / Mediterranean watershed ) 395 m 102.9 Trivy - Dompierre 105.7 La Chapelle Railway line Pouilly-sous-Charlieu – Clermain v. Pouilly ~ 110.2 formerly N 487 110.5 Clermain 115.8 Sainte-Cécile-la-Valouze ~ 116.0 D 17 (formerly N 79) ~ 116.1 CFD RSL according to Monsols 119.6 Abzw. La Corbette ~ 119.6 formerly N 80 120.1 Cluny depot Railway Cluny – Châlon-sur-Saône to Châlon LGV Sud-Est Tunnel du Bois-Clair (1602 m) ~ 128.8 D 17 (formerly N 79) 128.9 Croix-Blanche 132.3 La Roche-Vineuse ~ 134.2 D 17 (2 × (~ 133.7 + ~ 134.7); formerly N 79) 136.0 Prissé 139.3 Charnay - Condemine Paris – Marseille railway from Marseille-St-Charles Mâcon – Ambérieu railway from Ambérieu 144.0 439.7 Mâcon -Ville 189 m Paris – Marseille railway line to Paris-Gare-de-Lyon

Track field at Moulins station, 2005

The Moulins – Mâcon railway is a 144 km long railway line in France that no longer exists . It represented a west-east connection between the capital of the Allier department , Moulin , which was an important stopover on the Paris-Saint Etienne route , and the capital of the Saône-et-Loire department , which was on the important north-south Axis of the Paris – Marseille railway line . While the western part is still used regularly, the eastern part has almost completely disappeared into the landscape after it was finally closed between Paray-le-Monial and Mâcon on November 1st, 1968. The section between Cluny and Mâcon has been partially converted into a footpath and cycle path.

history

The concession to build and operate this line initially went to the Compagnie de la Dombes . On April 11, 1857, she was granted the final concession for a route "from Nevers and Moulins to the route from Dijon to Chalon , at a point to be determined from Châlon to Chagny ". In 1872 the company was taken over by the Compagnie des Dombes et des chemins de fer du Sud-Est .

The easternmost of the three sections, Cluny – Macôn, was originally built and operated by the company MM. Parent-Pécher et Riche frères from Brussels , but was also operated on January 8, 1874 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM) taken over.

Concessionaires

society	Period	M-P	P-M
Compagnie de la Dombes	1865-1872	×
C.ie des Dombes et des cf du Sud-Est (DSE)	1872-1883	×
Parent-Pecher et Riche frères	1873-1883		×
PLM	1883-1937	×
SNCF	1938-1997	×
Réseau ferré de France (RFF)	1997-2014	×
SNCF	from 2015	×
M – P = Moulins – Paray-le-Monial section, P – M = Paray-le-Monial – Mâcon

opening

The opening took place in three sections: Digoin –Paray-le-Monial on September 16, 1867, Moulins – Digoin on May 10, 1869 and Paray-le-Monial – Mâcon on August 16, 1870.

Originally the route went via Montchanin to Paray-le-Monial northwards to Chagny. Originally, the three sections Moulins-Paray-le-Monial , Paray-le Monial-Montchanin of the Le Coteau – Montchanin railway line and Montchanin – Chagny of the Nevers – Chagny railway line were to be seen as one unit. But in 1883, when the lines were taken over by the Compagnie des Dombes et des chemins de fer du Sud-Est (DSE) to the PLM, they were restructured. This fact also shows the reason why trains that wanted to travel the entire route had to head in Cluny and drive 500 meters twice.

On June 19, 1857, the General Council of Saône-et-Loire declared the Moulins – Paray-le-Monial section to be of public interest, i.e. also intended for passenger traffic. On June 16, 1886, almost 29 years later to the day, also the remaining part to Mâcon.

closure

The section between Paray-le-Monial and Cluny was closed to tourist traffic as early as May 15, 1939, but was temporarily reopened from December 1943 to summer 1947. November 1st, 1968 was the last day of travel between Cluny and Mâcon. Just two years later, the route was de-dedicated and the superstructure removed except for the last two and a half kilometers from Mâcon.

In a second phase, the Charolles – Clermain section was also closed to freight traffic on August 17, 1953, and disengaged 15 months later. This was followed by the closure of Clermain – Cluny on October 7, 1964 and its deedication on December 7, 1965, Cluny – Mâcon on November 1, 1968 and October 29, 1970, and finally Paray-le-Monial – Monial on January 6, 1987 Closure and on September 18, 1992 deedecation. The line was always derailed one to two years after it was deedicated.

Current state

Of what was once 144 kilometers, only 67 kilometers have been served since 1968. In terms of passenger traffic, there are mainly TER trains in the direction of Lyon and Dijon, but the offer is limited to a few trains per day. There are practically no traces of the remaining parts of the route to be seen today, especially since the N 79 and its access roads use the old railway lines in many places. A special feature is the old, 1.6 km long Bois Clair tunnel , which has been rededicated as a pedestrian and cycle path. This illuminated tunnel is closed from mid-October to the end of March to protect the bat colonies that live there. The adjacent, former railway line on both sides of the tunnel portals is also used today as a cycle and footpath.

Web links

• SNCF Region du Sud-Est. Carnet de profils et schémas , 1959. Pages 34, 88, 89.

Individual evidence

1. ^ Ligne de Moulins à Mâcon . In: Histoire de lignes oubliées .
2. ↑ Inventaire des tunnels ferroviaires de France N ° inventaire: 71571.1, Tunnel du Col des Vaux .
3. ^ Henri Lathuillere: Un peu d'Histoire locale , 1992, page 73