Line of the Cevennes

History

the line of the Cevennes is a French line of Railroad connecting Clermont-Ferrand to Nimes.
Long 303 km, it is the work of the large captain of industry Paulin Talabot (1799-1885), which creates in 1836 the " Company of the railroads of the Gard and the Mines of Large-Combe" in order to disenclose the coal layers of the coal basin of Ales.
This company will be taken again in 1855 by the company of PLM (Paris Lyon the Mediterranean)
In its southernmost part, the line serves the towns of Alès and Large-Combe the as of 1841, but it will have to be waited several years so that this section is connected to Brioude (in 1867), Issoire and Clermont-Ferrand.

the line of the Cevennes crosses successively the departments of the Puy-de-Dôme and the Haute-Loire (area Auvergne), of the Lozere and the Gard (area Languedoc-Roussillon).
Culminating with 1025 meters of altitude (close to the station of the Country house - Saint-Laurent-the-Baths), it is characterized by a particularly difficult profile, requiring very many works of art (tunnels and viaducts), like the Viaduc of Chamborigaud.
the line is of an exceptional tourist interest, as well in the high valley Allier between Langeac and Langogne as on the Mediterranean slope of the the Cevennes between the Country house and Alès. One of its most remarkable parts (between the Country house and Levade) as well as the junction towards Mende was conceived by the engineer Charles Dombre.
One will note a curiosity: the station of Ners between Ales and Nimes has an architecture of typically English station. Paulin Talabot had indeed wanted to make a wink with the Stephenson father and wire, pioneers of the rail, to thank them for their material and human contribution to the construction of his own railroad.
See also: Cevennes the

This line allows a relation Paris - Marseilles, ensured by only one daily train in each direction: " Cevennes the ". This relation will be reduced to Clermont-Ferrand - Marseilles in each direction as from December 2007.
In spite of its difficult profile between Arvant and Ales where it is with single track, it has in the past assured a traffic important freight, ensuring the transport of the wood of the Massif Central, of the coal of the basin of the the Cevennes, the chemicals and the Bauxite treated by the factory of Salindres.
the line counts today only some junctions, number of them having been closed following closings of industries of the Massif Central and with the carryforward of transport of the goods and the travellers on the road. However certain junctions are still in service:

with Arvant towards Neussargues, Béziers (Line of the Causses) and Aurillac
with Saint-Georges-in Aurac towards Puy and Saint-Etienne
with the Country house-Saint-Laurent-the-Baths towards Mende and Monastier (the Translozérien)
with Ales towards Bessèges (Line Ales - Bessèges)

Cevennes the put aside, the line of the Cevennes does not ensure any more but of the relations travellers local and regional: FOR THE THIRD TIME Auvergne between Clermont, Brioude and Langeac, FOR THE THIRD TIME Languedoc-Roussillon enters the Country house, Alès and Nimes. The night trains Vichy - Nice and Paris - Nimes were removed, as well as the rail-car which ensured a tourist connection between Lyon and Toulouse via Puy, Langeac, Langogne, Mende and Rodez.
the traffic freight is almost abandoned. Many stations moreover were closed. The outdatedness of certain portions of the line also leads the SNCF to slow down speed the trains.
section Ales - Nimes knows however increase of frequentation which should be confirmed in the next years thanks to the construction of the viaduct of Courbessac, which will avoid with the trains carrying out graining currently necessary for enters in station of Nimes, and will allow a eight minutes profit on the way.

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