Marseille–Ventimiglia railway

The Marseille–Ventimiglia railway (French: Ligne de Marseille-Saint-Charles à Vintimille; Italian: Ferrovia Marsiglia-Ventimiglia) is a French-Monégasque-Italian 259-kilometre-long (161 mi) railway line. It opened in several stages between 1858 and 1872.[3]

Marseille–Ventimiglia railway
The Viaduc of Anthéor in the Massif de l'Esterel
on the Mediterranean coast
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerSNCF Réseau
LocaleFrance (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur)
Monaco, Italy (Liguria)
Termini
Service
SystemSNCF
Operator(s)SNCF
History
Opened1858–1872
Technical
Line length259 km (161 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track[1]
4 tracks (Saint-Charles–Blancarde)
3 tracks (Blancarde–Aubagne)
3 tracks (Cannes–Nice)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV AC[2]
Route map

km
0.0
Marseille-Saint-Charles
000.0
6.2
La Pomme
8.4
Saint-Marcel
12.4
La Penne-sur-Huveaune
16.9
Aubagne
26.8
Cassis
36.5
La Ciotat
43.2
Saint-Cyr-les-
Lecques-la-Cadière
50.6
Bandol
57.5
Ollioules-Sanary
freight line to port of Toulon
La Seyne-Six-Fours
67.0
Toulon
74.3
La Garde
77.1
La Pauline-Hyères
77.5
000.0
89.9
Cuers-Pierrefeu
97.1
Puget-Ville
101.5
Carnoules
101.9
104.7
Pignans
109.9
Gonfaron
120.2
Le Luc et Le Cannet
129.9
Vidauban
135.5
Les Arcs-Draguignan
158.0
Fréjus
161.1
Saint-Raphaël-Valescure
000.0
167.5
Le Dramont
169.9
Agay
173.8
Anthéor-Cap Roux
179.6
Le Trayas
184.2
Théoule-sur-Mer
185.5
Mandelieu-la-Napoule
190.4
Cannes-la-Bocca
190.6
193.1
Cannes
000.0
202.3
Juan-les-Pins
204.2
Antibes
206.8
Brague River
207.1
Biot
209.2
Villeneuve-Loubet-Plage
211.3
212.7
Cagnes-sur-Mer
213.3
214.3
Le Cros-de-Cagnes
216.8
Saint-Laurent-du-Var
217.2
218.7
Nice-Saint-Augustin
224.1
Nice-Ville
000.0
226.8
Nice-Riquier
228.7
Villefranche-sur-Mer
230.7
Beaulieu-sur-Mer
233.5
Èze-sur-Mer
236.9
Cap-d'Ail
000.0
France
Monaco
border
240.2
Monaco-Monte-Carlo
000.0
000.0
Monaco
France
border
244.5
Roquebrune-Cap-Martin
246.8
Carnolès
248.5
Menton
250.9
Menton-Garavan
251.9
France
Italy
border
Roya River
259.2
Ventimiglia
km

The line is an important transport corridor, connecting the French and Italian Rivieras, and it is used by passenger (express, regional and suburban) and freight traffic. It played a significant role in the economic development of the region, facilitating trade and tourism between France and Italy as the primary railway line serving the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur). The line was also of strategic importance during World War II, as it was used to transport troops and supplies to the Italian front.

A new high-speed line, the LGV Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, is planned for opening around 2035 to offer quicker travel times between Marseille, Toulon, Cannes and Nice.

History

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The Marseille–Ventimiglia railway was built and used by the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée. The first section that was opened in 1858 led from Marseille to Aubagne. The line was extended to Toulon in 1859 and to Les Arcs in 1862. Cagnes-sur-Mer was reached in 1863 and Nice in 1864. The line was extended to Monaco in 1868 and to Menton in 1869.[3] Finally in 1872 the section to Ventimiglia was opened. The construction of the Marseille to Ventimiglia railway line was a significant engineering feat of the time. The line had to cross the rugged terrain of the Maritime Alps, which presented numerous challenges, such as steep gradients and tight curves. To overcome these obstacles, the engineers had to use a combination of tunnels, viaducts, and bridges. For example, the line crosses the Var river on a massive steel viaduct, which was an engineering marvel at the time of its construction. The line also includes several tunnels, such as the Tenda Tunnel which is 5.8 km long and was considered a major achievement of the time.

Infrastructure and future development

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Over the years, the Marseille to Ventimiglia railway line has undergone several upgrades and renovations to improve service and capacity. In the 1960s, the line was modernized, with the installation of new signaling and communication systems, and the electrification of the line. In the 2000s, the French and Italian governments invested in the line, upgrading the infrastructure and increasing the number of trains running on the line. This has led to a significant increase in the number of passengers using the line, and has also improved the reliability and punctuality of the service. A new high-speed line, the LGV Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, is planned to be built somewhat inland of the current line. It is intended to be operational around 2035 to offer quicker travel times between Marseille, Toulon, Cannes and Nice.

Main stations

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The line's main stations are: Marseille-Saint-Charles, Marseille-Blancarde, Aubagne, La Ciotat, Toulon, Fréjus, Cannes, Juan-les-Pins, Antibes, Nice-Saint-Augustin, Nice-Ville, Nice-Riquier, Monaco-Monte-Carlo (underground), Menton and Ventimiglia.

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References

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  1. ^ "RFF - Network map" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-18.
  2. ^ "RFF - Map of electrified railway lines" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b 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.