Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway

Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway
Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway
	Z 850 EMU in Chamonix
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	SNCF
Locale	Haute-Savoie, France
Termini	Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet; Vallorcine (Swiss border);
History
Opened	1901–1908
Technical
Rack system	None
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification	850 V DC third rail, top contact
Highest elevation	1,365 m (4,478 ft)
Maximum incline	9%
Route map
Route map
	Legend
	0.000 km
	0 mi
	0.121 km
	0.075 mi
	0.532 km
	0.331 mi
	0.635 km
	0.395 mi
	0.693 km
	0.431 mi
	2.676 km
	1.663 mi
	4.040 km
	2.51 mi
	4.100 km
	2.548 mi
	5.884 km
	3.656 mi
	6.762 km
	4.202 mi
	8.930 km
	5.549 mi
	9.911 km
	6.158 mi
	10.619 km
	6.598 mi
	10.731 km
	6.668 mi
	11.667 km
	7.25 mi
	13.763 km
	8.552 mi
	14.354 km
	8.919 mi
	14.360 km
	8.923 mi
	15.486 km
	9.623 mi
	15.672 km
	9.738 mi
	16.129 km
	10.022 mi
	16.603 km
	10.317 mi
	17.624 km
	10.951 mi
	18.344 km
	11.398 mi
	18.562 km
	11.534 mi
	19.029 km
	11.824 mi
	20.977 km
	13.035 mi
	21.494 km
	13.356 mi
	22.985 km
	14.282 mi
	23.575 km
	14.649 mi
	23.791 km
	14.783 mi
	25.000 km
	15.534 mi
	27.297 km
	16.962 mi
	29.389 km
	18.261 mi
	29.497 km
	18.329 mi
	29.649 km
	18.423 mi
	31.512 km
	19.581 mi
	32.340 km
	20.095 mi
	34.115 km
	21.198 mi
	36.364 km
	22.596 mi
	36.615 km
	22.752 mi
	France
	Switzerland
	Source: Swiss railway atlas

The Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway (French: Ligne de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet à Vallorcine), also known as the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine Line, is a single-track 36.5 km (22.7 mi) long metre gauge railway in France connecting the SNCF's Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet station with Vallorcine station and the border with Switzerland (Le Châtelard) through Chamonix.^[2] Opened in stages between 1901 and 1908 by the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM), it is part of the main SNCF network as far as Vallorcine. To Le Châtelard (3 km or 1.86 mi) is run by the Swiss company Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR), which also operates the Martigny–Châtelard Railway.

History

1886: Granting of the concession for the Cluses–Chamonix line to the PLM (first concession for a general interest electric line in France)
3 July 1893: Authorisation for the PLM to build the Saint-Gervais to Chamonix section as metre gauge
June 1899: Start of works on the first section
25 July 1901: Opening to Chamonix, 19 km or 11.81 mi (official opening on 12 July)
25 July 1906: Extension to Argentière
1 November 1907: Boring of the Col des Montets tunnel
1 July 1908: Junction with the Martigny–Châtelard Railway
1958: Introduction of Z 600 EMUs
1997: Introduction of Z 800 EMUs
2006: Introduction of Z 850 EMUs; frequency increase between Argentière and Vallorcine
17 July 2009: Official opening of Chamonix-Aiguille-du-Midi station

Geography

Stations

Line map

Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet
Chedde
Servoz
Vaudagne (request stop)
Viaduc Sainte Marie (request stop)
Les Houches
Taconnaz (request stop)
Les Bossons
Les Pélerins
Les Moussoux (request stop)
Aiguille du Midi
Chamonix Mont-Blanc
Les Praz
Les Tines
La Joux (request stop)
Argentière
Montroc-le Planet
Le Buet
Vallorcine
Le Châtelard-Frontière

Connections

At Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Le Fayet, with the standard gauge SNCF line from Aix-les-Bains via Annecy and La Roche-sur-Foron (including TGVs from Paris in the winter); and the Mont Blanc tramway (TMB) rack railway.
At Chamonix, with the Montenvers Railway, a rack railway.
In Switzerland, at Le Châtelard, with the Martigny-Châtelard rack railway, which continues to Martigny where it connects with the Lausanne–Brig line of the CFF.

Technical information

Track gauge: 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in).
Profile: uphill from the Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet (altitude: 580.95 m or 1,906 ft 1⁄16 in) to the col des Montets tunnel (altitude 1,365 m or 4,478 ft 4+3⁄16 in) then downhill to the border (altitude 1,100 m or 3,608 ft 11+1⁄16 in). The steepest grade, between Servoz and les Houches is 9% over 2,000 m (6,561 ft 8+3⁄16 in), a record for an adhesion railway. On the steepest sections (4% and more), it had a central rail for braking (and keeping trains immobile in case of electric black-outs), through jaws gripping the rail; it was removed around 1980.
Electrification through top-contact third rail at 850 V (580 V originally) direct current.
Main structures:
- Three viaducts, including the Sainte-Marie viaduct in the Houches over the Arve
- Several anti-avalanche galleries
- Col des Montets tunnel, 1,883 m (6,177 ft 9+7⁄8 in) long.
Control: A command post, named PC Éclair (ECLAIR, or “lightning”, standing for Exploitation Centralisée des Lignes Assistée par Informatique et Radio, which translates to Centralised Control of the Lines Assisted by Computers and Radio), installed in 1991 at Saint-Gervais station, allows centralised control with the help of radio and computers.

Rolling stock

A Z 800 trainset at Le Buet.

Three Z 850 electric multiple units (EMUs) made by Stadler. Three additional trainsets were slated to arrive before 2008.
Five Z 800 105-seat EMUs, delivered in 1997 by ADTranz and Vevey Technologies in a joint purchase with the Martigny-Châtelard. This 1000 kW stock, composed of two motor cars, can run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph); it is rack and pinion equipped, and has pantographs in addition to 3rd rail equipment, so that it run to Martigny.
Eight Z 600 EMUs and four additional trailers (some out of service), used in busy periods.
Snowploughs:
- Z 691 (electric)
- Beilhack CN4 (diesel)
The original Z 200 motor cars have been retired.
Service wagons: Flats (U 20201 - U 20203) and ballast-carrying (U 20204 and U 20205 (?)).

Activity

Line between Argentière and Montroc

This line carries about 500,000 passengers per year, with wide variation: from 500 people per day in the least busy periods up to 10,000 per day in summer and 2500 per day in winter for the ski season. The customer base is quite diverse, from international travellers connecting with the TGVs, to local transportation, most notably for schoolchildren. It is a tourist line and a public service at the same time.

Through trains between Saint-Gervais and Martigny run under the “Mont-Blanc Express” brand.

Since 2005 travel has been free between Servoz and Vallorcine for those with a Chamonix residency card and for valley inhabitants.

References

^ Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 54. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.
^ Le Châtelard Archived 2009-05-06 at the Wayback Machine

External links

Train du Mont-Blanc, dedicated to the line (in French)
Photos-trains (in French) has pictures of rolling stock

[Eisenbahnatlas-1] Eisenbahnatlas Schweiz. Cologne: Schweers + Wall. 2012. p. 54. ISBN 978-3-89494-130-7.

[2] Le Châtelard Archived 2009-05-06 at the Wayback Machine

[2]

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