Grenoble–Montmélian railway

Grenoble–Montmélian railway

Position within France
Overview
System SNCF
Status Operational
Locale France (Rhône-Alpes)
Termini Gare de Grenoble
Gare de Montmélian
Operation
Opening 1864
Owner RFF
Operator(s) SNCF
Technical
Line length 52 km (32 mi)
No. of tracks Double track[1]
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification 25 kV AC[2]
Route map
Legend
Line from Chambéry
49.766 Montmélian
Line to Modane
River Isère (153m)
A43 (70m)
46.844 Sainte-Hélène-du-Lac
River Bréda (14m)
41.393 Pontcharra-sur-Bréda
to La Rochette
36.673 Le Cheylas-La Bussière
30.694 Goncelin
26.810 Tencin tunnel (26m)
26.250 Tencin-Theys
20.029 Brignoud
16.473 Lancey
11.472 Domène tunnel (18m)
11.018 Domène
6.852
141.998
 Grenoble Universités-Gières
Rocade Sud (N87)
Eybens (Jeux Olympiques)
135.225 Échirolles
133.682 from Veynes and Gap
131.629 Abandoned route

0.000
130.538
 Grenoble
to Lyon and Valence

The railway from Grenoble to Montmélian is a 52 km (32 mi) long railway in southeastern France. It was built by the PLM and opened on 15 September 1864 (as a double track) to provide a link between Grenoble and Montmélian.[3] In September 1991 it was electrified between Grenoble and Gières and electrification of the whole line is realidsed and in service on 15 December 2013.[4]

History

In the past, the line took a route more north, closer to the centre of Grenoble. However, as part of the city's preparations for the 1968 Winter Olympics, the route was moved south, next to the Rocade Sud. A station was opened at Eybens and was used to serve the nearby Olympic Village. This deviation added about 3 km (1.9 mi) to the total length of the track. So as not to have the laborious task of changing all the milestones along the route, this new section was given distances as if it were part of the Ligne de Lyon - Grenoble, all the while staying part of this line. A part of the old line still exists at 45°10′46.10″N 5°43′12.16″E / 45.1794722°N 5.7200444°E.

In an effort to make the line more profitable, the stations St Hélène du Lac, Le-Cheylas-la-Bussière, Tencin-Theys, Lancey and Domène were all closed to passenger traffic during the 1990s. Domène station stayed open in order to man the nearby factory slidings although trains do not stop. There is also a bus service between Goncelin and Le-Cheylas-la-Bussière. Lancey was reopened in 2005, something very exceptional in France. For this, the station was completely refurbished.[5]

Images

Notes and references

  1. ↑ RFF - Network map PDF
  2. ↑ RFF - Map of electrified railway lines PDF
  3. ↑ "Grenoble-Montmélian". Rail 21. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  4. ↑ "Sillon Alpin Sud - Gières - Montmélian, modernisation et électrification" (in French). Sillon Alpin Sud. Archived from the original on 2008-06-03. Retrieved 2008-05-29.
  5. ↑ "Lancey : quand la Région réouvre une gare TER" (in French). 123Savoie.com. Retrieved 2008-11-02.

See also

External links