Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway

Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway
Carentan railway station
Overview
StatusOperational
OwnerRFF
LocaleFrance (Île-de-France, Normandy)
Termini
Service
SystemSNCF
Operator(s)SNCF
History
Opened1855-1858
Technical
Line length313 km (194 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track[1]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification25 kV 50 Hz[2]
Route map

Legend
 Line from Paris-Saint-Lazare
57.3
 Mantes-la-Jolie
Line to Rouen and Le Havre
70.9
 Bréval
80.1
 Bueil
to Rouen
from Saint-André-de-l'Eure
from Gravigny
107.3
 Évreux-Normandie
117.0
 La Bonneville-sur-Iton
125.2
 Conches
132.9
 Romilly-la-Puthenaye
143.2
 Beaumont-le-Roger
to Rouen
148.9
 Serquigny
158.8
 Bernay
190.1
 Lisieux
to Trouville-Deauville
214.4
 to Le Mans
215.5
 Mézidon
224.9
 Moult-Argences
231.2
 Frénouville-Cagny
239.9
 Caen
to Flers
252.2
 Bretteville-Norrey
258.5
 Audrieu
268.8
 Bayeux
282.6
 Le Molay-Littry
295.2
 Lison
Line to St-Lô and Lamballe
313.1
 Carentan
342.6
 Valognes
to eastern port of Cherbourg
370.4
 Cherbourg
to western port of Cherbourg

The railway from Mantes-la-Jolie to Cherbourg is an important French 228-kilometre long railway line, that connects Mantes-la-Jolie, a western suburb of Paris, with the northwestern port city Cherbourg via Caen. At Mantes-la-Jolie, the railway line is connected with the Paris–Le Havre railway. The line was opened between 1855 and 1858 by the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest.[3]

Route

Caen Station in 2003.

The line serves the towns Mantes-la-Jolie, Évreux, Bernay, Lisieux, Caen, and is extended to Cherbourg. It is 313 km long from Mantes-la-Jolie to Cherbourg (370 km from Paris). It was electrified with 25 kV AC in June 1996.

Main stations

The main stations on the Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway are:

Line history

Intercity train at Saint Lazare.

The railway from Paris to Rouen via Mantes-la-Jolie was opened in 1843. A concession for a railway from Mantes to Caen was already granted in 1846, but the first section from Mantes to Lisieux was only opened in July 1855. Lisieux–Caen followed in December 1855, and the final section Caen–Cherbourg in July 1858.[3]

The line was known for using the post-World War II, American-built SNCF 141R steam engines as well as turbotrain-type trains from September 1970. After electrification in 1996, BB16000 and BB 26000 locomotive-hauled trains are used.

Services

The Mantes-la-Jolie–Cherbourg railway is used by the following passenger services:

References

  1. ^ "RFF - Map of all railway lines" (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.