Train des pignes

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The term Train des Pignes primarily signifies the four meter-gauge railroads that once existed in the departments of Alpes-Maritimes (06), Var (83), Alpes-de-Haute-Provence (04) and Bouches-du-Rhône (13) in the Provence-Alpes-Côte-d'Azur (PACA) région in southern France:

Nice (06) - Meyrargues (13)
Nice (06) - Dignes-les-Bains (04)
St.Raphaël (83) - Toulon (83)
Cogolin (83) - St.Tropez (83)

Only the one between Nice and Dignes is still in operation. Therefore, today most people when they use the term, unaware of the history, refer to the Nice-Dignes line only.

The St.Raphaël - Toulon and Cogolin - St.Tropez lines were also sometimes called Le Macaron.

[edit] History

Work to build these lines started in 1887 and the lines were opened in sections

Nice - Meyrargues (210 km)
- Draguignan - Meyrargues (22 March 1889)
- Grasse - Draguignan (25 October 1890)
- Colomars - Grasse (7 June 1892)
- Nice - Colomars (2 June 1892)
Nice - Dignes (150 km)
- Nice - Colomars (2 June 1892)
- Colomars - Pugét-Théniers (8 August 1892)
- Pugét-Théniers - St.André-les-Alpes (3 July 1911) (from 1892 to 1911 passengers were transferred by stagecoach, a trip that took 6.5 hours)
- St.André-les-Alpes - Dignes-les-Bains (15 May 1892)
St.Raphaël - Toulon (103 km)
- St.Raphaël - La Foux (19 September 1889)
- La Foux - Hyères (4 August 1890)
- Hyères - Toulon (21 August 1905)
Cogolin]] - St.Tropez (9 km)
- Cogolin - St.Tropez (1 July 1894)

The Nice-Digne line is today operated daily with railcars, four trains per day.

[edit] Steam train

A group of voluntary rail enthusiasts in an association called GECP operate a steam train (sometimes also called Train des Pignes) between Pugét-Théniers and Annot on the Nice - Digne line every weekend from May to October, occasionally with an extended overnight trip to Dignes-les-Bains.