Martigny–Châtelard Railway

The Martigny–Châtelard Railway, abbreviated MC, French Chemins de fer Martigny–Châtelard, is a 19 km (11.8 mi) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge rack railway in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The transport company "Chemin de fer de Martigny–Châtelard" merged in 2001, the resulting Transports de Martigny et Régions now markets this line and the connecting Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway as Mont-Blanc Express.

Martigny–Châtelard Railway
Overview
Locale	Valais
Service
Type	Part rack railway
Technical
Line length	19 km (11.8 mi)
Rack system	Strub
Track gauge	1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification	850 V DC Overhead line (3rd rail on rack sections)
Maximum incline	adhesion 7% Rack 20%
Route map km elev from Brig MO to Sembrancher– Orsières/Le Châble TrMB to Martigny–Bourg 0.0 km 0 mi Martigny 467 m to Lausanne 1.1 km 0.7 mi Les Fumeaux 460 m 3.9 km 2.4 mi Vernayaz MC 457 m depot and workshop Buvette (83 m) Bourgout (132 m) Charbons (419 m) 7.4 km 4.6 mi Salvan 934 m Marécottes (63 m) 8.8 km 5.5 mi Les Marécottes 1030 m 9.4 km 5.8 mi La Médettaz 1040 m Triège (153 m) 10.6 km 6.6 mi Le Trétien 1059 m Petit-Lachat (12 m) Grand-Lachat (580 m) 13.9 km 8.6 mi Finhaut 1224 m Revenez (49 m) Grosse-Larze (82 m) Balayé (180 m) Bébolaz (50 m) Châtelaret (143 m) 17.0 km 10.6 mi Le Châtelard VS 1226 m Châtelard covered gallery (17 m) 18.1 km 11.2 mi Le Châtelard-Frontière border station to France 1116 m 18.4 km 11.4 mi / 36.6 km 22.7 mi Switzerland France Châtelard (143 m) 34.1 km 21.2 mi Vallorcine 1260 m continuing as Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway Source: Swiss railway atlas

Share of the Compagnie du Chemin de fer de Martigny au Châtelard, issued February 1923

Contact with the other networks

• At Martigny it connects with the Lausanne–Brig line of the Swiss Federal Railways
• At Le Châtelard (Finhaut) it connects with the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway which in turn joins the standard gauge SNCF at Le Fayet station of Saint-Gervais-les-Bains. However the 3 km (1.86 mi) between Le Châtelard and Vallorcine is operated by the Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard.

Rolling stock

• 2 Z 800 105-seater electric multiple units, delivered in 1997 (???) by ADTranz and Vevey Technologies, in the context of a joint purchase with the Ligne de Saint Gervais - Vallorcine. This 1000 kW stock, composed of two motorcars, could run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph); it is equipped with a rack and pinion system and pantographs (in addition to the third rail collector shoe), so that it could perform direct runs to Vallorcine and beyond without the need to change trains.

Merger with MO

This transport company merged 2001 with the Martigny–Orsières Railway and is now known as "Transports de Martigny et Régions".

See also

• List of mountain railways in Switzerland