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Chemins de fer de la Corse (Corsican : Camini di Ferru di a Corsica) (CFC) is the name of the regional rail network serving the French island of Corsica. It is centred on the town of Ponte Leccia, from which three main lines radiate to Ajaccio, Bastia, and Calvi. The section following the northwest coastline between L'Île-Rousse and Calvi, known as the Balagne line, gives access to many beaches and is very popular with tourists.
A fourth line, running from Casamozza (on the Bastia line) down the east coast of the island to Porto-Vecchio was badly damaged by bombardment during World War II and never reopened.
In 1877 it was decided to build a metre-gauge railway in Corsica, despite the very difficult terrain it would have to cross. [1] Legislation was passed on 4 August 1879 for the construction of the railway. [2] The first lines opened on 1 August 1888 [2] between Bastia and Corte and also between Ajaccio and Bocognano. The network was gradually opened in sections until 1894. A line to Porto-Vecchio opened in stages, the final section opening in 1935, but this was to be short lived owing to the war. There were proposals to build lines from Ajaccio to Propriano and also from Porto Vecchio to Bonifacio, but these lines were not built. [1]
In 1955, there was a proposal to close the Calvi – Ponte-Leccia line; and in 1959 another proposal to close the whole network, which was successfully opposed by the railway workers and the citizens of Corsica. In 1972, another proposal for closure was fought off. [3]
With a length of 232 kilometres (144 mi), the network is composed of two lines, both single track:
A third line of 130 kilometres (81 mi), opened between 1888 and 1935, serving the east coast; it linked Casamozza to Porto-Vecchio. After suffering much damage during World War II in September 1943, it was never restored, although the section between Casamozza and Folleli remained open until 1953. [4] The track of the disused line, between Casamozza and Moriani, at 42°31′N9°26′E / 42.517°N 9.433°E , is being considered for reopening.
The island's geography and topography has forced the line to follow it. The network has 32 tunnels and 51 bridges and viaducts. The longest tunnel, at 3.9 kilometres (2.4 mi), is near Vizzavona. This tunnel, at 906 metres (2,972 ft) high, is also the highest on the network. The viaduct at Vecchio, 140 metres (459 ft) long and 94 metres (308 ft 5 in) high, [5] was designed by Gustave Eiffel. [6]
The CFC is the only metre gauge line in France carrying freight. One train a day operates over the Ajaccio-Bastia line. In winter, the Vizzavona pass is often blocked, and closed to road traffic. Most of the goods wagons are today used for track maintenance purposes. [7]
The network is owned by the government of France and not by Réseau Ferré de France. The Collectivité Territoriale de Corse, CTC, is the concessionary holder of the network, under the act of parliament on regionalisation of railways in France, and is the transport authority and regulator of railway services. The CTC has entrusted the SNCF with the operation of rail services since 1 January 1983. A nine-year agreement between these bodies under the Loi Sapin came into effect on 1 September 2001.
A modernisation plan agreed by the national government, the CTC and the SNCF envisages the investment of 110 million euros. These funds are to be allocated to the modernisation of rolling stock and infrastructure, thus reducing travel time. An extension of the network towards the airports at Bastia and Ajaccio is also envisaged.
Services are provided with sixteen multiple units and locomotives. All are diesel-powered.
There are also ten Billard railcars that have had their engines removed, used as trailers. These include XR113, XR504, XR505 and XR526.
Twelve AMG800 railcars are scheduled to be delivered between June 2007 and 2009. These will reduce journey times on the Bastia-Corte-Ajaccio route to 2h 30m and allow the Soulé railcars to be transferred to the Bastia-Calvi route. [1] The first AMG800 railcar arrived on 23 June 2007. [8]
Amongst the freight stock still in service is a bogie flat wagon converted into a fire-fighting wagon. [7]
X2000 destroyed by fire in 1980. [8]
Two petrol-electric Crochat railcars were in service from 1928 until an accident in 1928 led to their withdrawal. [8]
X158 OC1 series. Ex Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme, Réseau Breton and Chemin de Fer des Côtes-du-Nord, preserved at Langueux, France.
The CFC had over 500 freight wagons. Open wagons were on 10 tonnes capacity. Other wagon types included flat wagons, vans, tarpaulin wagons, tank and hopper wagons, as well as three cranes. [7]
Service is essentially composed of passenger trains. It is divided into different activities:
Goods traffic amounts to less than 1000 tons per annum.
Corte is a commune in the Haute-Corse department, on the island of Corsica, France.
Calvi is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Transport express régional is the brand name used by the SNCF, the French national railway company, to denote rail service run by the regional councils of France, specifically their organised transport authorities. The network serves French regions; Île-de-France (Transilien) and Corsica (CFC) have their own specific transport systems. Every day, over 800,000 passengers are carried on 5,700 TER-branded trains.
Établissements Billard was a French railway rolling stock construction company founded in 1920 and based in Tours. It specialised in light railbuses and metre gauge and narrow gauge rolling stock. The business ceased trading in 1956 and later became Socofer.
The Compagnie du chemin de fer de Caen à la mer (CM) was an early French railway company.
The Chemins de Fer du Calvados was a 600 mm narrow gauge railway in the département of Calvados.
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the French mainland, west of the Italian Peninsula and immediately north of the Italian island of Sardinia, the nearest land mass. A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island. As of January 2024, it had a population of 355,528.
The French word Autorail describes a single powered railcar capable of carrying passengers. While the concept faded for a while, it has been introduced with a new range of vehicles for both standard and metre gauge lines.
The Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme, is a preserved railway in northern France. The railway is managed by a non-profit organization, which runs from March to December between the towns of the Baie de Somme area: Le Crotoy and Cayeux-sur-Mer via Noyelles-sur-Mer and Saint-Valery-sur-Somme, on metre gauge tracks. The association was founded in 1970 and over the years it has become a major player in tourism development in the Picardy coast and is also responsible for the preservation, safeguarding and enhancement of the fleet full of cars, wagons, steam locomotives and diesel locomotives. The line is one of the closest French heritage lines to the UK, Noyelles is 73 kilometres (45 mi) from Boulogne-sur-Mer and 105 kilometres (65 mi) from Calais. A part of the line has dual gauge track, and although forming part of a group of five lines, at least a part of it has always been open to traffic.
Algajola is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Morosaglia is a commune in the Haute-Corse department, on the island of Corsica, France. Since 2015, it is the seat of the canton of Golo-Morosaglia.
Ponte Leccia is a French village, part of the municipality (commune) of Morosaglia, in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica. Its name in Corsican language is U Ponte à a Leccia.
The Réseau Breton (RB) is a 1,435 mm, standard gauge, and former 1,000 mm, metre gauge, railway in Finistère, France, with a few kilometres of line in Côtes d'Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine and Morbihan. The hub of the system was Carhaix. The metre gauge lines were built with the capacity to be easily converted to standard gauge if necessary.
The Chemin de Fer du Blanc-Argent is a 1,000 mm gauge railway in the region of Centre-Val de Loire, France, part of which is still open to traffic, whilst another section is now operated as a heritage railway.
The Gravona is a river on the island of Corsica, France. It flows from the center of the island southwest to the Gulf of Ajaccio. Its entire course is in the Corse-du-Sud Department of France. It is 46.4 km (28.8 mi) long. The Gravona Valley conducts the main highway, Route N193, from the capital city, Ajaccio, to the Col de Vizzavona, where it goes through the pass and down to Corte and Bastia. At its upper end the Gravona is a crystal-clear mountain stream cascading over falls and rapids into trout-filled pools. At its lower end nearly all of the Gravona's flow serves to water the densely urban area of Ajaccio.
A Filetta is an all-male singing group that performs traditional music from Corsica. It's made up of Corsican singers who try to popularize the traditional Corsican Polyphony singing style. To assert its Corsican identity, the group's name refers to a kind of fern that grows on the island.
The PO Corrèze (POC) is a former metre-gauge railway in the Corrèze department in central France. The concession was granted to the Chemin de Fer de Paris à Orléans (PO) and constructed by the Société de Construction des Batignolles. Together with the Chemin de fer du Blanc-Argent and the Blois à Saint Aignan, they formed the metre-gauge network of the PO.
The railways in Corsica are metre gauge and are operated by Chemins de fer de la Corse. A list of stations follows.
The Chemin de fer d'Anvin à Calais was a 1,000 mmmetre gauge railway from Calais to Anvin, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France. It opened in 1881 and closed in 1955.
The Col de San Quilico or collo di San Quilico is a mountain pass in the Haute-Corse department of Corsica, France. It is a road pass on Territorial Route 20, between Corte and Ponte Leccia (Morosaglia).