Montbrison – Montrond tram

Location of the tram route, drawn on an atlas map from 1900

Route length:

15.6 km

	0.0	Montbrison
		Fontanes
		Sourcieux
		Loire
	15.6	Montrond-les-Bains
		Transition to the Roanne – Andrézieux railway line

The Montbrison – Montrond tram was a standard - gauge horse - powered tram in France . On the route opened in 1839 about 45 km west of Lyon , both people and goods were transported until it was closed in 1848. It is considered the first tram in Europe and was the second tram in the world after the horse-drawn tram opened in New York City in 1832 .

history

After the legal basis had already been created on April 26, 1833, the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Montbrison à Montrond was founded on September 14, 1835 as a stock corporation for the benefit of Pierre Cherblanc. She received the concession to build and operate a steam tram on the dead straight Départementsstraße (today D 496) from Montbrison to Montrond-les-Bains , two industrial locations west of Lyon .

The 15.6 kilometer long, single-track rural tram was opened in 1839, but with horse traction. The trip on the entire route took an hour and ten minutes. In Montrond the railway had a connection to the Roanne – Andrézieux railway line . In town, the track lay on the road, outside of town mostly on the roadside. In the absence of an enclosed site, the wagons in Montbrison were parked on tracks in the street area, where the line in the suburb of Saint-Jean was double-tracked. An extension in Montbrison to the central Place Grenette, a requirement for financial support from the city, failed due to resistance from local residents. Railway stations were built in Fontanes, Sourcieux and Montrond.

The volume of transport and thus the revenue fell far short of expectations. In 1840, only 8,000 passengers were counted, a third of the forecast. The train Saint-Etienne-Andrézieux had transported comparatively 1842 40.000 people. In 1844 the company had to file for bankruptcy. At the time, the company owned two horse-drawn carriages, one trailer for passengers and eight for goods. The new concessionaire was asked to extend the route to Boulevard de l'Hôpital , which was done in poor quality. Repair work on the highway and track was also necessary.

The transport performance decreased, in the end there was only one round trip per day, with a horse and a carriage. In 1848 the license was revoked. In 1851 the General Council of the Loire Department decided to have the tracks removed.

Later rail connections

In 1855 it was agreed to build a new railway line from Montbrison (direction ONO) to Montrond, but the decision was initially not implemented. Instead, licensed in 1861, the Andrézieux – Montbrison line was opened on June 15, 1864, after about 20 km in the SE direction .

Both routes run predominantly along a completely straight line, i.e. recently laid out street.

From January 17, 1876 to 1941, there was also a railway line from Lyon via Montrond-les-Bains to Montbrison, built by the Mangini brothers' Compagnie du chemin de fer de la Dombes .

Web links

45.6075 4.0652777777778Coordinates: 45 ° 36 '27 " N , 4 ° 3' 55" E

Montbrison – Montrond tram

contents

history

Later rail connections

See also

Web links