Toulouse railway network

Last updated
Toulouse railway network
Toulouse "TER" symbol.svg
Symbol of Toulouse urban trains
Toulouse Ligne C - la Cepiere 2.jpg
Line C leading to Arènes at La Cépière
Overview
Native nameRéseau ferroviaire de Toulouse
Area served Toulouse area, France
Transit type Train
Commuter rail
Line number3 (urban rail lines)
5 (national rail network)
Number of stations27
Operation
Operator(s) SNCF
Tisséo (Line C only and partially)
Technical
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in) standard gauge
Electrification 1500 V DC Catenary

The Toulouse railway network is a railway network in Toulouse metropolitan area in France. Created in 1856, with the opening of the Matabiau station (now Toulouse main station), it has six lines, or eight branches, arranged more or less in a star shape. [1]

Contents

It is operated and managed by SNCF and serves 27 stations, including 12 inside the city of Toulouse.

History

Network

The star shape

Toulouse-Matabiau station Gare de Toulouse-Matabiau - Facade.jpg
Toulouse-Matabiau station

The Toulouse railway network is roughly star-shaped. [7] [8] The structuring axis is the Bordeaux–Sète line, which crosses the agglomeration in a north-west - south-east orientation, [7] following on a part of the route the Canal du Midi. [8] Near the city center is the most important station of the city, Toulouse-Matabiau.

Starting from the latter and going back to Bordeaux, we first reach the station of Toulouse-Raynal, vast former marshalling yard and current SNCF technicentre located not far from the passenger station. Then, a triangular junction allows to join the Brive-la-Gaillarde – Toulouse (via Capdenac) line, major axis of communication of the north-east of Midi-Pyrenees since it is from this that all tertiary lines stand out (Montauban–La Crémade, Tessonnières–Albi, Lexos–Montauban) sector, and which serves major cities such as Albi, Rodez, Castres or Mazamet.

Continuing always following the valley of the Garonne, it is possible to reach several stations of the north of the city and the nearby agglomeration, as well as to the large railway station of Saint-Jory, where will be the connection from the LGV Bordeaux–Toulouse. Then, further north is the Montauban-Ville-Bourbon station from where the Orléans–Montauban line (or POLT, acronym for "Paris - Orléans - Limoges - Toulouse"), which is the old fast route that took the TEE Capitole and allows to reach the capital without passing through Bordeaux.

South of Toulouse-Matabiau, the various railway tracks of the city form an arc. First of all, for a few kilometers, all the tracks go down to the south, parallel to the Canal du Midi. Then, they separate shortly after the twin tunnels of Guilhemery, half continuing south-east and, after crossing the small Montaudran station and several stations of the agglomeration (Labège-Innopole, Labège-Village, Escalquens, Montlaur, Baziège), continue towards Sète, Marseille or Spain via Perpignan; the other half goes southwest.

After crossing the Saint-Agne station, and its transfer with the line B of the metro, the line Toulouse - Bayonne crosses the Garonne and the Ramier Island, from which separate decommissioned tracks which allowed the origin to serve factories of the SNPE and those of AZF today destroyed following the disaster of the same name. Then a second bifurcation takes place:

Urban lines

Line C

RER system of Toulouse : line C, Saint-Martin-du-Touch station Toulouse Tisseo LC Saint-Martin-du-Touch Station.jpg
RER system of Toulouse : line C, Saint-Martin-du-Touch station

This line is a kind of RER that joins the city of Colomiers to the west of Toulouse. It was opened just after the line A. This line is just a section of the TER train line between Toulouse and Auch, going from the station Arènes to Colomiers. [2] The TER line was adapted between these two stations, to follow the Metro ratebase. Frequencies were increased to 15 min in 2005 after doubling of the railway infrastructure.

It is the only railway of the network partially operated by Tisséo, so it also figures in their plans [9] [5] [10] [11] and is accessible with their trip tickets. [12] [13]

Line D

Like line C, the line D (or line 23 of TER Occitanie) is a railway operated by SNCF running to the town of Muret, south of Toulouse [14] with adapted frequencies. [15]

It is part of Toulouse–Bayonne railway.

Line D at Saint-Agne station Saint Agne 02.jpg
Line D at Saint-Agne station

Line F

Line F is a railway operated by SNCF running to the town of Escalquens, south-east of Toulouse. [16] [17] It is the only line with no dedicated trains. [18]

It is part of Bordeaux–Sète railway.

Line 1 of TER Occitanie

Line 1 of TER Occitanie network runs to Saint-Sulpice station. [19] It is the only line without a specific letter.

Future

North RER

The north RER is a project of line to Castelnau-d'Estretéfonds station. [20] [21] This project is part of Bordeaux – Toulouse LGV and Toulouse Aerospace Express metro line.

Bordeaux – Toulouse high-speed rail

Partial Double tracking Line C

It is planned to fully double track line C between kilometer markers 10.9 and 12.8. This would also involve a redevelopment of Lardenne station, and a removal of the level crossings around Lardenne and Saint-Martin-du-Touch stations [22]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muret</span> Subprefecture and commune in Occitania, France

Muret is a commune in the Haute-Garonne department, of which it is a subprefecture, in the Occitanie region of southwestern France. Its inhabitants are called Muretains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TER Midi-Pyrénées</span> French regional rail network

TER Midi Pyrénées was the regional rail network serving the Midi-Pyrénées region in southwest France. The centre of the network was Toulouse-Matabiau station. In 2017 it was merged into the new TER Occitanie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordeaux-Saint-Jean station</span> Main railway station of Bordeaux, France

Bordeaux-Saint-Jean or formerly Bordeaux-Midi is the main railway station in the French city of Bordeaux. It is the southern terminus of the Paris–Bordeaux railway, and the western terminus of the Chemins de fer du Midi main line from Toulouse. The station is the main railway interchange in Aquitaine and links Bordeaux to Paris, Sète, Toulouse Matabiau and Spain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toulouse-Matabiau station</span> Main railway station in Toulouse, France

Toulouse-Matabiau is the main railway station in Toulouse, southern France. It is in the city centre and connected to the Toulouse Metro. The station is situated on the Bordeaux–Sète railway, Toulouse–Bayonne railway, Brive–Toulouse railway and Toulouse–Auch railway. Direct trains run to most parts of France.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toulouse Metro</span> Rapid-transit railway in Toulouse, France

The Toulouse Metro is a rapid transit system serving Toulouse Métropole, France. It is the only Metro system in Occitanie. The city's public transport system was initially managed by the Société d'économie mixte des voyageurs de l'agglomération toulousaine, which was a company 80% owned by local government bodies and 20% privately owned. It has been managed by Tisséo Voyageurs, under the authority of Tisséo Collectivités, also named the Syndicat Mixte des Transports en Commun, an authority established by various local government bodies, since 2003.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarbes station</span>

Tarbes station is a railway station in Tarbes, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Toulouse–Bayonne railway line. The station is served by TGV, Intercités de Nuit, Intercités and TER (local) services operated by the SNCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portet-Saint-Simon station</span> Railway station in Occitanie, France

Portet-Saint-Simon is a railway station in Portet-sur-Garonne, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Toulouse-Bayonne railway and Portet-Saint-Simon–Puigcerdà railway. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by the SNCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toulouse-Saint-Agne station</span>

Toulouse-Saint-Agne is a railway station in Toulouse, Occitanie, France. The station is located on the Toulouse–Bayonne and Toulouse–Saint-Agne–Auch railway. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by the SNCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muret station</span>

Muret is a railway station in Muret, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Toulouse–Bayonne railway. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by the SNCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cazères station</span>

Cazères is a railway station in Cazères, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Toulouse–Bayonne railway. The station is served by TER (local) services operated by the SNCF. The fastest journey time by train from Cazères to Toulouse-Matabiau station is 39 minutes.

The railway from Toulouse to Bayonne is an important French 319-kilometre long railway line, that connects the southern city Toulouse to the southwestern town Bayonne, running along the foothills of the Pyrenees. The railway was opened in several stages between 1861 and 1867.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bordeaux–Sète railway</span> Railway line in southern France

The railway from Bordeaux to Sète is an important French 476-kilometre long railway line, that connects the southwestern port city Bordeaux to the southern port Sète via Toulouse and Narbonne. The railway was opened in several stages between 1855 and 1858.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lourdes station</span>

The gare de Lourdes is a railway station in Lourdes, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Toulouse–Bayonne railway line. The station is served by TGV, Intercités de Nuit, Intercités and TER (local) services operated by the SNCF.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg station</span> Railway station in Enveitg, France

Latour-de-Carol-Enveitg or Latour-de-Carol is a railway station in Enveitg and Latour-de-Carol, Occitanie, France. It is the current terminus of three lines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Orléans–Montauban railway</span>

The railway from Orléans to Montauban is an important French 544-kilometre long railway line, that connects Orléans and northern France to Montauban and southern France via Limoges. The railway was opened in several stages between 1847 and 1893, when the section from Limoges to Brive-la-Gaillarde was finished.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brive-la-Gaillarde–Toulouse (via Capdenac) railway</span>

The Brive-la-Gaillarde - Toulouse railway is a 248-kilometre 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lexos station</span>

Lexos is a railway station in Varen, Tarn-et-Garonne, Occitanie, France. It is on the Brive-Toulouse line and is served by TER (local) services operated by SNCF. A former Montauban branch line also terminated here.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toulouse-Saint-Cyprien-Arènes station</span> Railway station in Toulouse, France

Toulouse-Saint-Cyprien-Arènes is a railway station in Toulouse, Occitanie, France. The station is on the Toulouse-Saint-Agne–Auch railway. The train services are operated by SNCF.

References

  1. "Carte des transports TER en région Occitanie". SNCF - TER Occitanie . Retrieved 12 November 2018.
  2. 1 2 "TER ou ligne C : le duo des noms". La Dépêche du Midi . September 2, 2003.
  3. Line B opening document, p. 9, Hidezone.free.fr
  4. Sitnikow, Valérie (May 11, 2009). "Ligne Arènes-Colomiers : bientôt une nouvelle halte ferroviaire route de Seysses". La Dépêche du Midi.
  5. 1 2 "Tisséo main lines map" (PDF). Tisseo.fr. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  6. "Inauguration du doublement de la voie ferrée entre Toulouse et Saint-Sulpice". SNCF Réseau . December 20, 2013.
  7. 1 2 Official map of national rail network (SNCF Réseau), PDF, Sncf-reseau.fr
  8. 1 2 "OpenStreetMap". OpenStreetMap.
  9. "SEMVAT plan of 2002" (PDF). Hidezone.free.fr.
  10. "Detailed map of Tisséo network" (PDF). Tisseo.fr. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  11. General map of Tisséo network, PDF, Tisseo.fr
  12. "Avec la ligne C". Tisséo (in French).
  13. SNCF : Toulouse - Auch schedule  : "Between Toulouse-Arènes and Colomiers, TER can be used with a Tisséo trip ticket".
  14. "Toulouse, Lignes C (Colomiers) et D (Muret) des TER : des dessertes ferroviaires cadencées". La Dépêche du Midi. December 22, 2000.
  15. "SNCF : Toulouse - Muret schedule" (PDF). Cdn.ter.sncf.com.
  16. "Révision du PDU de l'agglomération toulousaine" (PDF). Tisseo.fr. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  17. "Rapport et Conclusion de la Commission" (PDF). Tisseo.fr. Retrieved 17 January 2019.
  18. SNCF : Toulouse - Narbonne schedule, PDF, Cdn.ter.sncf.com
  19. "SNCF : Toulouse - St-Sulpice schedule" (PDF). Cdn.ter.sncf.com.
  20. Emery, Philippe (October 3, 2014). "Le futur «RER» du Nord toulousain roulera en 2024". La Dépêche du Midi.
  21. "Une ligne "RER" au nord de Toulouse pour 2024". LCI . October 3, 2014.
  22. "Article 122-3" (PDF). Webissimo.developpement-durable.gouv.fr. Retrieved 17 January 2019.