Steam service on the remarkable Chemin de Fer de Provence
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| France travel pages : Scenic railways in France |
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France's scenic railways
Unlike the United Kingdom or the USA, France did not close down half or
more of her railway or railroad network in the nineteen-sixties and
seventies, at the start of the motorway age. As a result, modern France
still boasts a dense rail network, including a lot of rural branch
lines, some of them quite long, that would have been savagely axed many
years ago if France had had a Docteur Beeching.
Thanks to a network of minor and sometimes very scenic railway lines, amateurs of rail tourism, or those equipped with a Eurail or Interrail pass, or indeed any visitor, can visit some of the parts of France that other means of transport do not reach.
Evidently, the most scenic rail routes are to be found in the
mountainous regions of France, which means the southern half. Below is
a list of some of the more interesting of these routes, including some
long-distance lines.
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Long distance routes
The most interesting long-distance scenic rail routes in France are
those crossing the Massif Central mountains, in central southern
France.
| 1. (Clermont-Ferrand) - Arvant - St.Flour - Millau - Beziers
: the longest and perhaps most unlikely of France's long-distance
single-track lines, often threatened with closure, is still open. There
is one train a day in each direction. This line is known as "la ligne
des Causses" or "la ligne de l'Aubrac", and it takes a day to travel
the full length. The line is remarkable insofar as it runs across the
top of the plateaux of the Massif Central, up to an altitude of 1100
metres, and is also electrified. Highlights include the Viaduc de
Garabit (photo right), one of the masterpieces of Gustave Eiffel, spanning the gorge
of the river Truyère, and the descent into the deep valley of the Tarn.
The line actually runs underneath the modern Millau viaduct, on the A75
motorway; it also goes through Roquefort, home of the famous cheese. |
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 2. (Clermont-Ferrand) - Arvant - Langogne, Alès, Nimes :
the second long distance route acrossz the Massif Central, busier than
the Ligne des Causses, (about four trains per day each way). This line is also more
spectacular, as it runs through the upper end of the Allier gorge (photo left), in a
section where no roads go, and drops down towards Nimes through the
spectacular Cevennes mountains, on a twisting line with dozens of
tunnels and impressive viaducts.
Tip: amateurs of rail-tourism may like to do the round trip
from Clermont Ferrand or Arvant to Béziers (stay overnight),
then TGV from Beziers to Nimes, and return to point of departure by the
Cevennes route.
3. (Clermont-Ferrand) - Arvant - Aurillac - Figeac - Toulouse : the
route is the same as route 1 above, as far as Neussargues, a
once-important railway junction in the middle of nowhere. From there,
it rises to almost 1100 m at the Lioran pass (col du Lioran), with its
station at the foot of the ski slopes, and in walking distance from the
cablecar. The line then follows the Cère valley to Aurillac,
before dropping down through chestnut forests to the town of Figeac, in
the Lot. After that, it twists along the steep sided Aveyron valley,
through a series of tunnels, past picturesque villages, before the
final stretch to Toulouse.
Circuit
1. Clermont-Ferrand - St Georges d'Aurac - Le Puy - St Etienne - Thiers - Clermont Ferrand.
A branch line circuit taking in two 1000 metre summits, the remarkable
city of Le Puy en Velay, and about 40 kilometres of the gorges of the
river Loire.
The only private public-service railway in France
Nice - Digne-les-Bains This is the surviving part of the once extensive Chemins de Fer de Provence.
It is a one-metre gauge private railway (owned by Veolia), linking
Nice, on the coast, with Digne les Bains, a distance of 151 km. The
route is operated by diesel railcar (not the most comfortable), and
runs through the spectacular scenery of the mediterranean Alps. The
single journey takes about 3 1/4 hours. In summer, there is a steam
service at weekends over a short section of the line. Check the website.
Some other routes:
The Yellow Train of the Pyrenees - famous mountain train running
from Villefranche-Vernet les Bains, near Perpignan , to Latour de
Carol, at 1200 metres altitude, on the Spanish border, a distance of 63
km. The line winds up through the French Pyrenees, amid spectacular
scenery, to a summit at 1593m. The name derives from the colour of the
coaches, which are bright yellow; particularly popular with tourists
are the open coaches, offering spectacular viewing of the surrounding
mountains.
Alps
Montenvers railway - Mer
de Glace railway. Metre gauge rack-and-pinion railway running from the
railway station at Chamonix, to an altitude of 1913 metres, on the
slopes of Mont Blanc. Electric railway. Length; 5.1 kms.
Ardèche (Rhone valley)
The Chemin de Fer du Vivarais is a delightful line winding up through
the hills of the Ardèche from Tournon, on the Rhône, to
Lamastre, high in the Cévennes. The line operates steam services
in the summer season. Sadly, there will be no services in 2008, as the
line is in financial crisis and the local authorities have not found a
solution.
Eastern France: Jura mountains.
1. Besançon - Morteau - Le Locle (Switzerland) - a line across the high Doubs
2. Dole - Mouchard - Saint Claude - beautiful line across the Jura
mountains, with a spectacular drop down into the deep valley of St.
Claude
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