ides aboard the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes, or the steam train of Cevennes, are short and sweet.
The line stretches just eight miles long through the Cévennes, a chain of mountains in southern France. In forty minutes, passengers traverse the Gardons river valley to Mescladou viaduct, an 11-arched bridge that stretches across the Gardon de Mialet and the Gardon de Saint Jean du Gard.
A restaurant car at the rear of the train holds a reputation for its delectable afternoon appetizers and meals, including pork tenderloin and honey pie. At Saint-Jean-du-Gard, vendors also sell local delicacies, the most popular being apple products, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The train is so well-liked that from April through October, enthusiastic passengers can even get baptized aboard the train.
But before today’s trip enabled passengers to enjoy the highlights of French food and culture, passengers and employees both fought for years just to keep the line open.
The Railway Company from Paris to Lyon to the Mediterranean (PLM) first conceived the idea of a line spanning Anduze to Saint-Jean-du-Gard in 1879. Two years later, a connection between two separate tracks already running from Lézan to Saint-Jean-du-Gard and Alès to Saint-Jean-du-Gard realized this vision. Although the line was declared a public utility in 1897, the landscape of the route posed natural obstacles to safe travel, and the train remained closed to the public. In 1903, the installation of four tunnels, a single metal bridge, five viaducts, and several walls confronted the mountainous terrain. In 1909, after the construction of guard houses, passengers finally were permitted to use the line. These early challenges foreshadowed greater barriers to opening the line.
In 1940, the route from Alès to Nîmes was replaced with cheaper roads. The later rise of highways in Western countries compelled many former patrons of railways to opt for personal transportation. As a result, the U.S. and the UK closed half of their railroad networks, and the Train à Vapeur again closed in 1971. Over the next decade, more than 30,000 volunteers, consisting of regular travelers, tourists, and former workers of the line united to establish the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes association. The organization argued that the route should not be disassembled despite its costs.
At last, in 1986, the International Express Steam Train Company (CITEV) formed a limited liability company that saved the track. Initially, the company could only afford to take on four employees. Not even twenty years later, 28 employees were operating the Train à Vapeur for over 156,000 visitors.
This year, the Train à Vapeur will celebrate its 39th anniversary of running as a tourist train. Its longevity is a testament to the advocacy of the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes association. Because of a local community’s resolve, France today maintains one of the most extensive train networks among the Western countries, venturing into rural and mountainous areas that once filled passengers with fear.
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The Shortest, Sweetest Train Ride in France
August 23, 2020
The popular eight-mile journey is filled with French delicacies.
R
ides aboard the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes, or the steam train of Cevennes, are short and sweet.
The line stretches just eight miles long through the Cévennes, a chain of mountains in southern France. In forty minutes, passengers traverse the Gardons river valley to Mescladou viaduct, an 11-arched bridge that stretches across the Gardon de Mialet and the Gardon de Saint Jean du Gard.
A restaurant car at the rear of the train holds a reputation for its delectable afternoon appetizers and meals, including pork tenderloin and honey pie. At Saint-Jean-du-Gard, vendors also sell local delicacies, the most popular being apple products, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. The train is so well-liked that from April through October, enthusiastic passengers can even get baptized aboard the train.
But before today’s trip enabled passengers to enjoy the highlights of French food and culture, passengers and employees both fought for years just to keep the line open.
The Railway Company from Paris to Lyon to the Mediterranean (PLM) first conceived the idea of a line spanning Anduze to Saint-Jean-du-Gard in 1879. Two years later, a connection between two separate tracks already running from Lézan to Saint-Jean-du-Gard and Alès to Saint-Jean-du-Gard realized this vision. Although the line was declared a public utility in 1897, the landscape of the route posed natural obstacles to safe travel, and the train remained closed to the public. In 1903, the installation of four tunnels, a single metal bridge, five viaducts, and several walls confronted the mountainous terrain. In 1909, after the construction of guard houses, passengers finally were permitted to use the line. These early challenges foreshadowed greater barriers to opening the line.
In 1940, the route from Alès to Nîmes was replaced with cheaper roads. The later rise of highways in Western countries compelled many former patrons of railways to opt for personal transportation. As a result, the U.S. and the UK closed half of their railroad networks, and the Train à Vapeur again closed in 1971. Over the next decade, more than 30,000 volunteers, consisting of regular travelers, tourists, and former workers of the line united to establish the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes association. The organization argued that the route should not be disassembled despite its costs.
At last, in 1986, the International Express Steam Train Company (CITEV) formed a limited liability company that saved the track. Initially, the company could only afford to take on four employees. Not even twenty years later, 28 employees were operating the Train à Vapeur for over 156,000 visitors.
This year, the Train à Vapeur will celebrate its 39th anniversary of running as a tourist train. Its longevity is a testament to the advocacy of the Train à Vapeur des Cévennes association. Because of a local community’s resolve, France today maintains one of the most extensive train networks among the Western countries, venturing into rural and mountainous areas that once filled passengers with fear.
