System SNCF Stations 25 Operator(s) SNCF | Status Operational Opened 1858-1864 Owner Réseau Ferré de France | |
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Locale France (Limousin, Midi-Pyrénées) Terminis Gare de Toulouse-Matabiau, Gare de Brive-la-Gaillarde | ||
The Brive-la-Gaillarde - Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway is a 248-kilometre long French railway line, that connects the rural areas between Brive-la-Gaillarde and the large southern city of Toulouse via Figeac and Capdenac. The railway was opened in several stages between 1858 and 1864.
Contents
Route
The Brive-la-Gaillarde–Toulouse railway leaves the Gare de Brive-la-Gaillarde in a southeastern direction, towards Gare de Saint-Denis-près-Martel. Here the line to Gare d'Aurillac leaves in an easterly direction and the preserved line to Martel in a westerly direction. The line soon crosses the River Dordogne and follows the valley for a short while before it opens out into flat land. The Gare de Figeac is on two curves, where the line from Gare d'Aurillac joins. Shortly after leaving Figeac the railway travels through a 1.3 km tunnel and then travels alongside the River Lot and the preserved railway from Cahors joins, however this line has been disused since 2003. At Gare de Capdenac the line to Gare de Rodez leaves in an easterly direction. The line continues south from here, where after 95 km the line from Gare d'Albi and Gare de Rodez join at Gare de Tessonnières, although most interchanges are made at Gare de Gaillac. From here the line twists and turns around the River Tarn until Gare de Saint-Sulpice-sur-Tarn where the river heads northwest. At Saint-Sulpice the line from Gare de Castres joins and the former line to Montauban leaves. The line continues a further 30 km before arriving at its southern terminus of Gare de Toulouse-Matabiau.
Main stations
The main stations on the Brive - Toulouse railway are:
History
The first section that was opened in 1858 led from Lexos to Capdenac. Capdenac and Brive-la-Gaillarde were connected in 1862. Finally, the line was extended from Lexos to Toulouse in 1864.
Before the opening of this line in 1864, trains between Paris and Toulouse would travel via Tours and Bordeaux. The line remained the main link between Paris and Toulouse until 1891 when the Brive-Cahors section of the Orléans–Montauban railway was opened.
In 2010 a complete renewal of all the ballast between Capdenac and Tessonnières (95 km) took place.
Accident
On 3 August 1985 at 3:48 p.m., at the height of Flaujac-Gare, a serious train accident took place between a Corail intercity train towards Assier and a train towards Gramat.
Services
The Brive - Toulouse railway is used by the following passenger services: