Paris–Marseille railway
The railway viaduct crossing the Loing at Saint-Mammès
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerSNCF
LocaleFrance (Île-de-France,
Bourgogne-Franche-Comté,
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes,
Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
Termini
Service
SystemSNCF
Operator(s)SNCF
History
Opened1847–1856
Technical
Line length862 km (536 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification1.5 kV DC[1]
Route map

RER D from Paris-Nord
0.0
Paris Gare de Lyon
Paris–Dijon
0.9
Paris-Bercy
4.4
River Marne
6.2
Maisons-Alfort – Alfortville
7.8
Le Vert de Maisons
9.3
LGV IE to Marne-la-Vallée
10.5
Villeneuve-Prairie
Line from Massy–Palaiseau
Line to Noisy-le-Sec
12.7
Villeneuve-Triage
14.4
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
RER D to Juvisy
17.5
Montgeron – Crosne
19.1
Yerres
21.1
Brunoy
24.0
Boussy-Saint-Antoine
25.9
Combs-la-Ville – Quincy
29.3
LGV SE to Lyon
30.5
Lieusaint – Moissy
34.3
Savigny-le-Temple – Nandy
37.7
Cesson
41.3
Le Mée
42.8
River Seine
RER D from Corbeil-Essonnes
44.1
Melun
to Montereau
50.9
Bois-le-Roi
55.0
Fontainebleau-Forêt
58.9
Fontainebleau–Avon
63.3
Thomery
66.8
Moret–Veneux-les-Sablons
Line to Nevers
67.8
River Loing
68.1
Saint-Mammès
to Melun
78.6
Montereau
to Flamboin-Gouaix
89.2
Villeneuve-la-Guyard
94.0
Champigny-sur-Yonne
101.3
Pont-sur-Yonne
112.6
Sens
to Courtenay
120.2
Étigny-Véron
127.0
Villeneuve-sur-Yonne
134.6
Saint-Julien-du-Sault
145.5
Joigny
154.9
Laroche-Migennes
to Auxerre
168.9
LGV SE LyonParis
172.3
Saint-Florentin-Vergigny
to Neuvy-Sautour
196.2
Tonnerre
224.6
from Châtillon-sur-Seine
224.8
Nuits-sous-Ravières
236.0
LGV SE branch from Paris
242.9
Montbard
256.8
Les Laumes-Alésia
to Époisses
271.2
Thenissey
278.4
Verrey
287.9
Blaisy-Bas
295.3
Mâlain
299.5
Lantenay
305.4
Velars
314.2
Dijon-Ville
Dijon–Lyon
from Nancy
to Dole
to Bourg-en-Bresse
325.4
Gevrey-Chambertin
331.5
Vougeot – Gilly-lès-Cîteaux
336.6
Nuits-Saint-Georges
342.6
Corgoloin
351.2
Beaune
358.4
Meursault
to Nevers
366.2
Chagny
369.3
Rully
372.7
Fontaines – Mercurey
224.6
from Verdun-sur-le-Doubs
366.2
Chalon-sur-Saône
398.5
Sennecey-le-Grand
407.8
Tournus
422.2
Fleurville-Pont-de-Vaux
429.2
Senozan
439.7
Mâcon-Ville
440.5
to Bourg-en-Bresse
444.1
LGV SE ParisLyon
446.8
Crêches-sur-Saône
450.7
Pontanevaux
455.4
Romanèche-Thorins
462.7
Belleville-sur-Saône
468.2
Saint-Georges-de-Reneins
477.0
Villefranche-sur-Saône
482.1
Anse
488.0
Quincieux
489.8
from Roanne
490.8
Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d'Or
493.6
Albigny – Neuville
496.6
Couzon-au-Mont-d'Or
499.5
Collonges – Fontaines
499.8
Lyon North
River Saône
from Bourg-en-Bresse and LGV SE
Line from Geneva
River Rhône
506.4
Lyon-Vaise
507.8
2.1
to Tassin
1.8
Lyon-Gorge-de-Loup
0.0
Lyon-Saint-Paul
510.5
River Saône
Lyon-Part-Dieu
510.9
Lyon-Perrache
Lyon South
Line to Saint-Étienne
511.3
River Rhône
512.2
Lyon-Jean Macé
512.5
Lyon–Marseille
to Grenoble
516.7
Saint-Fons
521.3
Feyzin
526.4
Sérézin
528.3
Ternay
to Givors (right Rhône bank)
532.0
Chasse-sur-Rhône
540.0
Estressin
542.4
Vienne
554.2
Saint-Clair-Les Roches
563.4
Le Péage-de-Roussillon
to Peyraud (right Rhône bank)
571.7
Saint-Rambert-d'Albon
to Beaurepaire
584.6
Saint-Vallier-sur-Rhône
598.9
Tain-l'Hermitage – Tournon
609.1
River Isère
Line from Grenoble
616.9
Valence-Ville
634.3
Livron
to La Voulte (right Rhône bank)
to Die and Gap
635.6
River Drôme
637.3
Loriol
661.3
Montélimar
675.1
Donzère
678.6
Donzère Canal
682.8
Pierrelatte
692.3
LGV MarseilleValence TGV
694.4
Bollène-la-Croisière
713.3
Orange
to Carpentras
721.7
Courthézon
727.2
Bédarrides
from Carpentras
731.4
Sorgues – Châteauneuf
to Salon-de-Provence
741.3
Avignon-Centre
to Villeneuve-l-A (right Rhône b.)
Avignon TGV (LGV Médit.)
744.9
River Durance
747.4
from Plan-d'Orgon
Tarascon (to Nîmes)
747.4
from Fontvieille
776.3
Arles
792.5
Saint-Martin-de-Crau
from Salon-de-Provence
809.3
Miramas
to Martigues
814.3
Saint-Chamas
828.6
Berre
from Aix-en-Provence
834.9
Rognac
838.9
Vitrolles Aéroport
843.6
Pas-des-Lanciers
to Châteauneuf-les-Martigues
845.3
from Martigues
851.7
L'Estaque
to Port of Marseille
853.2
Séon-Saint-Henri
854.6
LGV from Avignon TGV
856.0
Saint-Louis-les Aygalades
859.3
from Aix-en-Provence
860.0
Line to Toulon
from Port of Marseille
862.1
Marseille-Saint-Charles

The railway from Paris to Marseille is an 862-kilometre long railway line, that connects Paris to the southern port city of Marseille, France, via Dijon and Lyon. The railway was opened in several stages between 1847 and 1856, when the final section through Lyon was opened.[2] The opening of the LGV Sud-Est high speed line from Paris to Lyon in 1981, the LGV Rhône-Alpes in 1992 and the LGV Méditerranée in 2001 has decreased its importance for passenger traffic.

Route

The Paris–Marseille railway leaves the Gare de Lyon in Paris in southeastern direction. It crosses the river Marne at Charenton-le-Pont, and follows the right Seine bank upstream until Crosne, where it follows a course east of the Forest of Sénart. It crosses the Seine near Melun and follows the left Seine bank upstream, along the Forest of Fontainebleau. Beyond Montereau-Fault-Yonne, the railway follows the left Yonne bank upstream. At Migennes the Yonne is crossed, and the small rivers Armançon, Brenne and Oze are followed upstream. Beyond Blaisy-Bas the railway enters the watershed of the Mediterranean Sea, descending the Ouche river valley to central Dijon.

At Dijon the railway turns south, running along the east side of the Côte d'Or escarpment with its famous vineyards. At Chalon-sur-Saône the railway reaches the river Saône, and follows its right bank downstream until the city centre of Lyon. Before and after the Lyon-Perrache station it crosses the Saône and the Rhône respectively, and continues downstream along the left Rhône bank. Between Collonges-au-Mont-d'Or (north of Lyon) and La Guillotière (a southern quarter of Lyon) there is a parallel line to its east, on which the other main station of Lyon, Part-Dieu, is situated. There is also a long parallel line on the right bank of the Rhône between Lyon and Nîmes, which is mainly used for freight transport.

The railway passes through Valence, Avignon and Arles, where it leaves the Rhône and turns east. It passes along the northern shore of the Étang de Berre. After a total length of 862 km, it reaches its terminus Marseille-Saint-Charles station.

Main stations

The main stations on the Paris–Marseille railway are:

History

The sections Paris–Lyon, Lyon–Avignon and Avignon–Marseille were built and exploited by three different companies, that became part of Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée in 1857. The concessions Lyon–Avignon and Avignon–Marseille had already been united in 1852 of the Chemin de fer de Lyon à la Méditerranée.[3] The first section that was opened in 1847 led from Rognonas near Avignon to Pas-des-Lanciers near Marseille. Marseille was connected in 1848. In 1849 a line from Paris to Tonnerre (Yonne) and a line from Dijon to Chalon-sur-Saône were built, and Avignon was connected with Rognonas. Tonnerre and Dijon were connected in 1851. In 1854 the line from Marseille to Avignon was extended to Valence, and the line from Paris to Chalon was extended to Lyon-Vaise. In 1855 Valence was connected with La Guillotière, a southern quarter of Lyon. Finally in 1856 the passage through Lyon from La Guillotière to Vaise was opened.[2] Together with existing railways north of Paris, this enabled for the first time railway travel between the North Sea or the English Channel and the Mediterranean Sea.

It is also known as the "Imperial Line" as it was used by Napoleon III, who saw it as a way to connect all regions over which he reigned. France at the time had a 50-year delay on industrialisation when compared to England; the railway would help speed along this progress. Coal was carried to all regions of the country, Beaujolais nouveau could be sampled far beyond its native area, with wines from the Midi, the Côtes-du-Rhône and even the Bourgognes using the line. The PLM became a sort of "wine highway", with up to 10% of the company's freight profits in 1909 coming from the wine trade. [4]

Services

The Paris–Marseille railway is used by the following passenger services:

References

  1. "RFF - Map of electrified railway lines" (PDF).
  2. 1 2 Direction Générale des Ponts et Chaussées et des Chemins de Fer (1869). Statistique centrale des chemins de fer. Chemins de fer français. Situation au 31 décembre 1869 (in French). Paris: Ministère des Travaux Publics. pp. 146–160.
  3. Joanne, Adolphe (1859). Atlas historique et statistique des chemins de fer français (in French). Paris: L. Hachette. p. 39.
  4. Dupuy, Georges (May 31, 2001). "Il était une fois le PLM". L'Express (in French). Retrieved March 2, 2020.
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