Chemins de fer de Provence

The Chemins de Fer de Provence (French pronunciation: [ʃəmɛ̃ də fɛʁ də pʁɔvɑ̃s]) is a small rail company providing a daily train service between Nice and Digne-les-Bains in Provence. Their single remaining route, which dates from the 1890s and known locally as the Train des Pignes, is a metre-gauge railway, mostly single-track with passing loops at some stations. Between Pont-de-Gueydan and Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée the line runs through the valley of the Var. Most stops are upon request only and some do not have a built platform.

Chemins de Fer de Provence: Network Map
Legend
Digne-les-Bains To Saint-Auban River Bléone Plan-d'eau-des-Ferrols Plan-de-Gaubert Gaubert aqueduct Beaumes bridge Gaubert-Le Chaffaut Golf de Digne-les-Bains Tunnel de Hermittes 300 metres (330 yd) Saint-Jurson Roche-chave viaduct Lavandes Mézel-Châteauredon Vallonet bridge Saint-Michel-de-Cousson Tunnel de la Clue-de-Chabrières 595 metres (651 yd) Chabrières Couinier bridge Tunnel de Serre-Geneston 213 metres (233 yd) Chaudon-Norante Chaudon Ravine Tunnel de Abrante 137 metres (150 yd) Le Poil-Majastres Saut-du-Loup River Asse Barrême La Thuilière River Asse Gévaudan Hyèges Tunnel 114 metres (125 yd) Hyèges bridge Moriez viaduct Moriez Moriez Tunnel 1,195 metres (1,307 yd) Saint-André-les-Alpes River Issole La Mure River Verdon Allos-Argens La Mine bridge La Condamine viaduct Thorame-Haute Thorame viaduct over River Verdon Plan-de-Lys bridge over River Verdon Colle St Michel tunnel 3.457 km (2 mi, 261 yd) Peyresq River Vaïre Tunnel de Méailles 104 metres (114 yd) Maouna viaduct Méailles La Guillaumasse viaduct Tunnel de l'Hubac 35 metres (38 yd) L'Hubac viaduct Tunnel de La Barre 75 metres (82 yd) Gros Vallon viaduct Tunnel du Fuguret 509 metres (557 yd) Tunnel du Notre-Dame 194 metres (212 yd) Le Fugeret Rayets viaduct Fontbouisse viaduct Les Lunières La Belte viaduct Annot Les Scaffarels River Coulomp Tunnel du Plan-du-Coulomp 75 metres (82 yd) Saint-Benoît Tunnel de Saint-Benoît 110 metres (120 yd) Pont-de-Gueydan Sausses River Var Tunnel des Comillons 62 metres (68 yd) Méailles Agnerc Daluis Plan d'Entrevaux Villeplane Guillaumes Saint-Sauveur Tunnel de Entrevaux No.2 128 metres (140 yd) Tunnel de Entrevaux No.1 164 metres (179 yd) Entrevaux Saint-Martin-Vésubie Plan-de-Puget Valdeblore River Var La Trinité Puget-Théniers Le Planet La Blanquerie Berthemont Les Clos Rigaud - Le Cians Rimplas River Cians Touët-sur-Var Pont-de-Clau Le Tournel Rocquebillière Plan-Sollerain Galerie du Salvaret 25 metres (27 yd) Villars-sur-Var River Var La Ballène Tournefort Mellaussène - Massoins Tunnel de Mellaussène 60 metres (66 yd) Egleros Lantosque Le Mescla St Jean la Rivière Tunnel de La Mescla 934 metres (1,021 yd) River Var Le Reveston La Tinée Cros d'Utelle Tunnel de La-Barre-du-Pin 84 metres (92 yd) Le Chaudan River Vésubie La Vésubie - Plan-du-Var Baus-Roux Pont Charles Albert Gilette La Lauzère Roquestéron Saint-Martin-du-Var Saint-Joseph Saint-Blaise Castagniers Le Mourier La Bédoule River Var Colomars-La Manda L'Enghieri Viaduct Bellet-Tennis-des-Combes Saint-Sauveur-sur-Tinée Lingostière Saint-Isidore Cremat Bellet Tunnel 950 metres (1,040 yd) Magnan Viaduct La Madeleine Saint-Pierre Viaduct Verani Bridge Saint-Pierre Tunnel 633 metres (692 yd) Saint-Philippe Saint-Philippe Tunnel 255 metres (279 yd) Parc-Impérial Piol Tunnel 78 metres (85 yd) Manbéga Tunnel 88 metres (96 yd) Tramway de Nice et du Littoral Gambetta To Monte Carlo Nice Gare de C.P. Nice Gare du Sud To Marseille Gattières Route Nationale 209 Tunnel de Saint-Jeannet 860 metres (940 yd) Saint-Jeannet-La Gaude Tunnel de la Cagne 224 metres (245 yd) La Cagne Viaduct Tunnel des Canons 30 metres (33 yd) Tunnel des Fonts 53 metres (58 yd) Route Nationale 210 La Lubiane Viaduct Vence Route Nationale 210 Cassan Viaduct Pasceressa Viaduct Tourrettes-sur-Loup Route Nationale 210 River Loup Pont-du-Loup St Peu la Collé Villeneuve-Loubet Route Nationale 210 Le Bar-sur-Loup Tunnel du Riou-le-bar 104 metres (114 yd) Tunnel de pré du lac 515 metres (563 yd) Magagnosc-Châtauneuf Tunnel de Saint-Laurant 125 metres (137 yd) Grasse C.P. To Cannes Tramway des Alpes-Maritimes to Cagnes-sur-Mer Grasse P.L.M. Route Nationale 576 Route Nationale 562 Route Nationale 562 Peymeinade River Siagne Saint-Cassien - Tanneron Route Nationale 562 Montauroux Callian Route Nationale 563 Fayence Seillans Méaulx Claviers Bargemon Callas Figanières Route Nationale 562 Route Nationale 555 To Les Arcs Draguignan Route Nationale 557 Route Nationale 562 Flayosc Sauve-Clare Lorgues Entrecasteaux Route Nationale 560 Salernes-Villecroze Route Nationale 560 Aups-Sillans Route Nationale 560 Route Nationale 560 Rognette Route Nationale 560 Pontevès Route Nationale 560 Barjols Varages Route Nationale 561 St Martin de Pallières Esparron Artigues Route Nationale 561 Route Nationale 561 Rians Les Roques Route Nationale 561 Jouques Route Nationale 96 Peyrolles To Veynes Meyrargues To Arles To Marseille

A Chemins de Fer de Provence train at Gare de Nice CP

History

Construction of the meter gauge line began in 1890 followed by a partial opening in 1892. Construction ended on 3 July 1911 and conceded to Sud-France. Lines from Nice stretched to Grasse, Puget-Théniers (opened in 1892), Digne (opened in 1911) and Annot.

After World War II, the line to Meyrargues closed and almost took the entire network with it. The Chemins de Fer de Provence closed the Gare du Sud in December 1991 and moved its terminating services to Nice CP.

On 5 November 1994 flooding of the river Var cut the line in several places and forced upon the line a total closure. A new bridge at Gueydan was built and the reopening of the line occurred on 12 April 1996.

The remaining line is 151 kilometres (94 mi) long. It comprises 27 tunnels, including the 3,457-metre-long (11,342 ft) Tunnel de la Colle Saint-Michel. The exit of the tunnel, Dignes-side, is at an elevation of 1,023 metres (3,356 ft).

The railway's terminus in Nice was until 1991 at Gare du Sud and since then Gare de Nice CP. The station is the terminus of a 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) (metre gauge) railway from Digne-les-Bains.

In Digne there was also a former railway line to Grenoble (standard gauge) operated by the SNCF. The SNCF had its own station building opposite the CP station.

In Digne the former station of the CP is no longer used. The narrow gauge track and the ticket service are moved to the former SNCF station building.

Accidents and incidents

Main article: 2014 Chemins de Fer de Provence derailment

On 8 February 2014, a passenger train was struck by a falling boulder near Annot and derailed. Two people were killed and nine injured.

Current operations

The railway line is not part of the Société nationale des chemins de fer (SNCF). It is owned by the Syndicat Mixte Méditerranée Alpes, SYMA, who received its concession for ninety-nine years in 1972. The SYMA is a grouping of several authorities (Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Alpes-Maritimes, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Nice and Digne-les-Bains). It is presided by Gérard Piel, vice-président of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur région and delegate of transport of Antibes. Service of the railway is assured by the CFTA, a subsidiary of Veolia Transport.

The workforce numbers 135.

Services

Passenger service is provided between Nice and Digne-les-Bains as well as a more frequent urban service between Nice and Plan-du-Var. Steam trains are operated during the summer season between Puget-Théniers and Annot. A postal service is also operated.

Maintenance

The main workshop for maintenance and repairs is in Nice-Lingostière. There are additional facilities at Puget-Théniers.

Rolling stock

Currently the CP has the following rolling stock:

Steam Locomotives

No.	Wheels Arr.	Builders Details	Date Built	Date out of service	Notes.
E211	1B'C't	Henschell & Sohn	1923	In-service.	Ex-Portuguese National Railways locomotive. Works No. 19874

Diesel Locomotives

No.	Wheels Arr.	Builders Details	Date Built	Date out of service	Notes.
T61-T66	Bo'Bo'	B et L[note 1]	1950	?	T66 was acquired from the Swiss Chemins de fer du Jura (CJ). Only T62 and T66 are still in service.
BB1200	B'B'	Henschel	1966	-	Acquired second-hand from Spanish FEVE. Former FEVE-class 1400. Rebuilt by CFD.
BB401, BB402	B'B'		1962	?	Diesel locomotive.
DU012, DU102	B	Matisa	1993	-	Draisine
11	B		1945	?	Shunter bought second hand from Chemin de Fer du Blanc-Argent (BA).
51	D		1948	?	Shunter
490	B	Berry	1957	?	Shunter

Diesel Railcars

Railcar 212 in Nice Gare du Sud in 1983

Railcar X306 in Nice

No.	Wheels Arr.	Builders Details	Date Built	Date out of service	Notes.
211-212		Billard	1939	?	Design A150D. Bought from C.F.D. du Vivarias in 1968. Class X200.
223-224		Billard	1939	?	Design A150D2. Bought from C.F.D. du Vivarias in 1968.
ZM1+ZR1-ZM10+ZR10		B et L[note 1]	1935	?	For the section from Toulon to St. Tropez and St. Raphael. Sold to a railway in Spain.
ZM11+ZR11-ZM14+ZR14		B et L[note 1]	1938	?	For the section from Toulon to St. Tropez and St. Raphael. Sold to a railway in Spain.
X301-X304		CFD[note 2]	1971-1972	-	Numbered SY01-SY04 until 1984.
X305-X306		CFD[note 2]	1977	-	Numbered SY05-SY06 until 1984.
X307		?	1975	?	Acquired from Chemins de Fer de Corse (CFC) in 2009. Original number X2003.
ZZ1-ZZ6		Renault	1935 (1-2), 1936 (3-6)	?	Class ABH1. ZZ2 and ZZ6 are still in service. Class X320.
ZZ7-ZZ12		Renault	1942	?	Class ABH5.
X351+X1351		Soulé-Garnéro	1984	-	Withdrawn in 2008 after a fire, but completely reconstructed by Safra in 2012 and returned to service.[1]
		CFD-Bagnères	2010	-	4 ordered trainsets (DMU-2). Type AMP 800. Identical to AMG 800 of CFC.

Railcar XR1376 in station Nice-Lingostière

Passenger cars

No.	Wheels Arr.	Builders Details	Date Built	Date out of service	Notes.
XR1331, XR1332		Billard	?		RL1-RL2 acquired in 1955. Design R210D2.
XR1333			?		RL3 acquired in 1959.
XR1334, XR1335			?		RL4-RL5 purchased from CFD du Tarn in 1964.
XR1336, XR1337			?		Rl6-RL7 were acquired from Vivarais in 1969.
XR1341-XR1344			1912	?	Originally numbered as A521-A524, later renumbered in AT1-AT4.
XR1371, XR1372			1948		Acquired from Appenzeller Bahn in 2004.
XR1376					Acquired from CJ.

Hopper car F260 in station Nice-Lingostière

Freight cars

No.	Wheels Arr.	Builders Details	Date Built	Date out of service	Notes.
D 273, D 61					Closed car.
E 216, 221, 223, 226, 230	2				Open car.
F 259-263					Maintenance ballast car.
F 301-303					Maintenance ballast car.
G 205-214					Closed car.
K 233-238	2				Flat car.
L 239-246					Flat car.
R 247-254, 257					Flat car.
U 265					Special car.
U 267-270					Snow plough.
Y 271				.	Special car.