Railway Tunnel of the Mount-Cenis

The railway tunnel of the Mount-Cenis (also named railway tunnel of Frejus ) connects Modane (France) to Bardonèche (Italy) in the top Val of Suse.

The August 31st 1857, the king Victor-Emmanuel II orders the beginning of work of a railway tunnel. Work is carried out by the Engineer Germain Sommeiller. The first mine of work of the tunnel of the Cenis Mount was drawn with the Fourneaux (Maurienne) the August 31st 1857. Symbolically, the first block torn off with the mount Fréjus constitutes the first stone of the bridge of Culoz, deposited on September 1st, 1857. The tunnel is inaugurated from September 17th to 19th 1871: the inaugural convoy starts from Turin to join Modane where were based the Public Minister for Labor Victor Lefranc in companies of Ferdinand de Lesseps. A plate should have received this inscription: “ a work herculéen made it possible to force the door of the Hells . ”

It was used the winter until in 1980 for transport by shuttle of the cars, the N6 passing by the collar of the Cenis Mount being crossed because of snow. This service ceased with the startup the July 12th 1980 of the Tunnel of Frejus, which offered a road link between France and Italy continues during the year. The gate French side during work was moved back of more than one kilometer, the access road to the gate of the road tunnel passing on the primitive railway gate. The overall length of the tunnel passed thus from 12  233m with 13  636m. It was with its opening the longest tunnel railway in the world, and 1882 remained to it until June 1st , with the opening of the tunnel of Gothard, length 15 kilometers.

See Too

• Tunnel of Frejus
• Maurienne
• List of the tunnels