Tours – Saint-Nazaire railway line

Tours – Saint-Nazaire
Loire bridge at Cinq-Mars
Route number (SNCF) :	515000
Course book route (SNCF) :	390, 380
Route length:	282.4 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	1500 V (Tours node)  =
Power system :	15 KV 50 Hz (from km 243.95)  ~
Maximum slope :	8  ‰
Minimum radius :	900 m
Top speed:	220 km / h
Dual track :	continuous
Legend Kilometers from Paris Austerlitz via Orléans 235.7 Tours to Paris ; about it from LGV Atlantique to Bordeaux Connecting curve from Paris 237.5 to Le Mans 241.4 Saint-Côme (to La Riche ) 243.9 Separation of direct / alternating current 244.9 Saint-Genouph 249.9 Savonnières 254.2 Viaduc de Cinq-Mars / Loire 254.6 (Oxbow lake of the Loire) 255.8 Cinq-Mars-la-Pile 257.8 Autoroute A85 260.2 Langeais 269.0 Saint-Patrice 276.9 La Chapelle-sur-Loire Route to Port-de-Piles 281.7 Port boulet 289.7 Varennes-sur-Loire 297.5 Chartres – Bordeaux railway from Bordeaux 299.1 Saumur eh. Saumur-Rive-Droite to Chartres 306.8 Saint-Martin-de-la-Place 310.2 Saint-Clément-des-Levées 314.4 Les Rosiers-sur-Loire 320.1 La Ménitré 323.8 Saint-Mathurin-sur-Loire 330.5 La Bohalle 332.7 Authion 336.5 Trélazé from La Flèche From Loudun From Le Mans ; above connection LGV BPL Angers-Maître-École 342.4 Angers tunnel 343.0 Angers- Saint-Laud 348.8 Maine 350.3 La Pointe - Bouchemaine 354.5 Béhuard-les-Forges 355.4 Savennières - Béhuard 358.4 La Possonnière After Niort 363.5 Saint-Georges-sur-Loire 373.2 Champtocé-sur-Loire 376.9 Ingrandes 380.8 Montrelais 385.2 Varades - Saint-Florent-le-Vieil 391.1 Anetz 397.2 Ancenis 406.5 Oudon 3 slope tunnels on the banks of the Loire 410.0 Clermont-sur-Loire to Le Cellier 410.2 Clermont tunnel (101 m) 412.1 Le Cellier 415.9 Mauves-sur-Loire 420.9 Thouaré 423.6 Sainte-Luce 424.4 Autoroute A811 425.3 Route Nationale 844 (Ring Nantes) Nantes-Blottereau marshalling yard From Châteaubriant / Segré –Nantes-Doulon After Saintes (-Bordeaux), Gilles-Croix-de-Vie and Nantes-État 430.4 Nantes eh. Nantes-Orléans (Re-alignment 1946-55) 430.7 Erdre / Canal de Nantes à Brest Galerie de la Bourse (737 m) Erdre Gare de la Bourse (Nantes) Tunnel de l'Héronnière (512 m) Gallery Saint-Louis (431 m) Tunnel de Chantenay (1191 m) 435.1 Chantenay (to Nantes) 436.6 Pont de Cheviré (Ring Nantes) 440.3 La Basse-Indre - Saint-Herblain 445.7 Couëron 453.5 Saint-Etienne-de-Montluc 459.1 Cordemais 469.5 Savenay Savenay – Landerneau railway towards Rennes / Brest planned relocation 481.0 Donges several refinery and port connections Sablé – Montoir-de-Bretagne railway line 488.4 Montoir-de-Bretagne 490.7 Brivet 491.7 La Croix-de-Méan to Saint-Nazaire Old route to Le Croisic 493 Penhoët at Saint-Nazaire Port railway 494.0 Saint-Nazaire since 1955 494.5 Saint-Nazaire Alter Bahnnof Saint-Nazaire – Le Croisic railway since 1955

The Tours – Saint-Nazaire railway is one of the main radial lines in France . It runs through the regions Center-Val de Loire and Pays de la Loire . In Tours it connects to the Paris – Bordeaux railway line and runs from there in a westerly direction along the Loire to its mouth at Saint-Nazaire . The most important stopover is the Nantes train station , which is connected to Paris by this railway line . It leads to the Atlantic coast via the Saint-Nazaire – Le Croisic railway line .

It bears the number 515000 at the infrastructure operator SNCF Réseau .

The terminus in Tours

history

Opening dates

• December 20, 1848 Tours– Saumur
• August 1, 1849 Saumur– Angers
• August 21, 1851 Angers – Nantes
• 1 August 1854 extension in Nantes
• August 10, 1857 Nantes – Saint-Nazaire

development

In a law of June 11, 1842, several current main routes, including one from Paris to Tours and from there via Bordeaux to the Spanish border and to Nantes were decided. On July 19, 1845, the tender for the Tours – Nantes line, at the same time as the Paris – Strasbourg line , was released. The concession for construction and operation was granted on November 25, 1845 to the businessmen Mackensie, Dufeu, O'Neill, Drouillard, la Croix-Saint-Pierre, Leroy and de Surville. On December 13th and 15th, 1845, the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Tours à Nantes was founded as an operating company; on December 17th, it received approval by ordinance and permission to take over the concession. In the meantime, the Compagnie du chemin de fer d'Orléans à Bordeaux opened on April 2, 1845 the section Orléans – Tours, through which Tours was connected with Paris.

The Compagnie du chemin de fer de Tours à Nantes opened the section from Tours to Saumur for passengers on December 20, 1848, and for freight traffic on February 20, 1849. On August 1, 1849, the section followed up to a temporary station in Angers ; The railway continued to Nantes from August 21, 1851 for freight and from August 25, 1851 for passenger transport.

With the conclusion of the contract on March 18 and government approval on March 27, 1852, the operating company and the concession were taken over by the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans (PO) .

Old train station Gare de la Bourse in Nantes, around 1905

In 1853 the line was extended along the quayside in Nantes.

On March 18, 1853, the extension to Saint-Nazaire was awarded to the PO . This section was opened on August 10, 1857.

The originally single-track section Nantes-Saint-Nazaire was expanded to double-track in 3 sections:

• from Montoir-de-Bretagne to Saint-Nazaire on September 8, 1884 (simultaneously with the opening of the Sablé – Montoir-de-Bretagne railway through the Ouest , offering an alternative route from Paris Montparnasse via Le Mans and Châteaubriant to Saint-Nazaire) ;
• from Chantenay to Savenay on January 12, 1885;
• from Savenay to Montoir-de-Bretagne on June 8, 1899.

In the Loire-Atlantique region , the route was relocated along the Loire . In Nantes, it ran on the quays in the city center (especially the Quai de la Fosse ) until the middle of the 20th century , which required no fewer than 23 level crossings over a section of 4.7 km. It posed a significant accident risk for pedestrians and the speed was limited to 16 km / h. As part of the filling in of the northern arm of the river, it became possible to relocate the route here a bit to the south in the former course of the river; in the further course it crosses under the old route and parts of the city center in a sequence of four tunnels, of which the eastern three merge directly into one another. This section was opened in 1955.

The initial station in Saint-Nazaire was a terminus , passenger trains that wanted to continue to Le Croisic via the Saint-Nazaire – Le Croisic line, which was opened in 1879 , had to change direction; Freight trains could circumnavigate Saint-Nazaire via a triangular track. In 1955, a 4600 m long re-routing with a through station was established and the terminus station was abandoned.

The line was electrified in three sections: On May 4, 1982 from Tours to the separation point at Sainte-Saint-Côme (line kilometers 234.0) with direct current 1.5 kV and from there to Saumur with alternating current 25 kV 50 Hz; on September 16, 1983 between Saumur and Nantes together with Le Mans-Angers; and on May 14th from Nantes to Saint-Nazaire and on to Le Croisic.

Alignment

A grain train pulled by a BB 26100 drives through La Possonnière in the direction of Tours

From Orléans via Tours to Nantes, the railway lines run close to the Loire, only in Tours does it follow the Cher . It has comparatively few curves and inclines, so that nowadays there is even a local train, the Interloire, running at 200 km / h, as well as numerous TGVs between Angers and Nantes. Despite the speeds, the route is popular with tourists.

Below Nantes are the industrial plants at the Loire estuary, including the Donges oil refinery , on both sides of the route.

The longest bridges are the Loire Bridge between Villandry and Cinq-Mars-la-Pile (203 m) and the subsequent flood bridge over an oxbow lake (200 m).

Infrastructure

The route has a very favorable profile. Therefore it can be driven at 160 km / h between Tours and Angers, only the level crossings prevent higher speeds despite the straight line and between Ancenis and Mauves-sur-Loire . Between Angers and Ancenis, it is largely expanded to 220 km / h, as well as between Mauves-sur-Loire and Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire (just before Nantes). The Nantes – Chantenay section is driven at 100 km / h, from there to Saint-Nazaire at 140 to 160 km / h.

The route is double-tracked throughout. In the direction of Saint-Nazaire there are passing tracks in Port-Boulet, Saumur, Angers, Ingrandes-sur-Loire , Nantes and Savenay; another in Ancenis is under investigation. In the opposite direction they are in Savenay, Nantes, Ancenis, Arades - Saint-Florent-le-Vieil, Angers, Saumur and Maby-Dort near Saint-Patrice.

traffic

Nantes train station as seen from the Tour Bretagne tower block

Saint-Nazaire's first station, closed in 1950

The route is used for freight, regional and long-distance traffic. The TGV Paris – Nantes usually travel via the north branch of the LGV Atlantique either via Le Mans or via the LGV Bretagne-Pays de la Loire to Sable and from there via the Le Mans – Angers railway , so that they use this route from Angers ; Paris and Nantes are connected in less than two hours. Some TGV continue to Saint-Nazaire and Le Croisic. Between Nantes and Savenay, the route is also used by trains that travel to and from Rennes or Brest via the Savenay – Landerneau railway , thus also connecting southern France with Brittany .

The section from Angers to Nantes is almost busy. Freight traffic, regional trains, fast regional traffic and TGV mix on this route, which has been expanded to a speed of up to 220 km / h; the operational situation is problematic and hinders an expansion of the offer.

Planning

By-pass of the Donges refinery

The current route crosses the oil refinery in Donges , around 80 trains per day travel through the Total site . A 4.5 km long northern bypass, which would also be closer to the town center, is planned. Although the railway facilities are hindering the refinery's development, this planning was postponed for budgetary reasons. In order to solve the blockade, the oil company offered in the spring of 2015 to contribute up to 50 million euros to the 150 million euros project. Construction work is scheduled to begin in 2018 and the bypass with the new passenger station will go into operation in 2021.

Reconstruction of the railway facilities in Ancenis

In order to allow more traffic, especially additional suburban trains between Ancenis and Nantes, the Ancenis station is to be redesigned. For this purpose, a turning track is to be created between the continuous main tracks and another passing track is to be built.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlements, et avis du Conseil d'État / JB Duvergier, année 1842, p. 169.
2. ^ Loi relative aux chemins de fer de Tours à Nantes, et de Paris à Strasbourg , Bulletin des lois du Royaume de France IX, 31, 1226 (1845), pp. 29-368, Imprimerie Royale, Paris - Law on the railways of Tours to Nantes and from Paris to Strasbourg
3. ↑ Ordonnance du roi qui approuve l'adjudication passé, le 25 November 1845, pour le bail du chemin de fer de Tours à Nantes , Bulletin des lois du Royaume de France IX, 31.1258 (1845) pp. 1094-1096 - award decision in the name of the king from 1845
4. ^ "N ° 20168 - Ordonnance du roi portant autorisation de la société anonyme formée à Paris sous la dénomination de compagnie du chemin de fer de Tours à Nantes: December 17, 1845", Bulletin des lois du Royaume de France, Paris, Imprimerie Royale, série IX, vol. 28 “Partie supplémentaire”, no 818, 1845, pp. 776–788. - Royal approval of the stock corporation founded in Paris to designate it as a railway company from Tour to Nantes
5. ↑ Le rail en France, les 80 premières lignes , par François et Maguy Palau, auteurs éditeurs, juin 1995, pp. 167 and 168. ISBN 2-9509421-0-5
6. ↑ Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlements, et avis du Conseil d'État / JB Duvergier, année 1852, p. 338.
7. ↑ Collection complète des lois, décrets, ordonnances, règlements, et avis du Conseil d'État / JB Duvergier, année 1853, p. 412.
8. ↑ Rapports et délibérations - Conseil général de Loire-Atlantique, année 1858, p. 144.
9. ↑ La vie du rail , n ° 1696 du 3 juin 1979, pp. 4-9
10. ↑ Chemins de fer magazine , éditée par l'AFAC, n ° 393 de 1988, p. 265.
11. ↑ ^{a b} Tours - Angers: une transversale active , article de la revue Rail Passion , n ° 47 d'avril 2001, p. 32.
12. ↑ ^{a b c} La barre des 100 trains quotidiens est franchie sur Angers - Nantes , article de la revue Rail Passion , n ° 29 de may 1999, p. 32.
13. ↑ ^{a b} Nantes - Le Croisic, une artère bien vivante des pays de Loire , article de la revue Rail Passion , n ° 43 de novembre 2000, p. 46.
14. ↑ ^{a b} Le contournement de la raffinerie de Donges se précise enfin , - “The bypass of the Donges refinery is finally getting more concrete”, Les Échos May 27, 2015, accessed March 30, 2017.
15. ↑ "Contournement de la refinery, donnez votre avis" , Ouest-France on Sept. 14, 2015, accessed March 30, 2017.
16. ↑ En 2021, les trains ne passeront plus au milieu de la raffinerie de Donges - in 2021 the trains will no longer run through the Donges refinery, 20 minutes , February 12, 2017, accessed March 30, 2017
17. ↑ “Notice d'impact accompagnant le formulaire d'examen au cas par cas préalable à la réalisation d'une étude d'impact” , étude d'Adev environnement d'avril 2014, p. 23.

Web links

Commons : Ligne de Tours à Saint-Nazaire  - Collection of images, videos and audio files