Chemins de fer de l'État

Chemins de fer de l' État, abbreviated ETAT, refers to the railways, which were operated from 1878 to 1938 under the direction of the French State ( État ).

Formation

Due to the existing laws, the French government acquired the request of the Chamber of Deputies from 1878 a number of railway companies who worked less profitable and therefore were threatened by the setting. The Act of June 11, 1878 granted the Minister of Public Works for the purchase of the tracks a loan of 331 million francs, and authorized the Minister of Finance, for that amount, a 3% spending amortizable bond in 75 years.

Ten railway companies were bought with a total of 2615 km routes that stretched over one-third of the national territory and were unrelated to each other. The largest of the tracks were those of the Charente, the Vendée and the web from Orléans to Châlons, the latter in an unfinished state. From the nationalized railways were 1575 km in operation. The " ETAT " that was initially of relatively low economic importance.

Extension

In the following years the purchased tracks were deepened and new routes in attack. A substantial modification of the learned network in 1884 as a result of agreements with the major private railways. In these, the state committed him 17 associated tracks in total extent of 1215 km of the Compagnie des Chemins de fer Paris - Orléans ( PO) and to assign other companies. These routes were outside the core area of the " BUDGET " and partly out of context with the other lines. In turn, took over the " budget " of the P. O. 449 km routes through which the " ETAT " a more coherent network received. This network has since had two main areas, a southern with the center of Tours and a northern with the center of Chartres with a total of 2112 km in-service routes.

A similarly prepared by the Treaties of 1884 preliminary conclusion was found on July 11, 1886, when the " budget " by the jointly used with the Chemins de fer de l' Ouest Paris- Chartres ( 88 km) of access to capital and the inauguration of the Grave d' Ambarès -Bordeaux (14 km) was opened access to Bordeaux. At the same time a link between the northern and southern catchment area and a continuous, independent line from Paris to Bordeaux was created. About the joint operation of the Paris- Bordeaux with the adjacent PO in 1883 the necessary arrangements are made. The total length of the network of " budget " was the end of 1885 2253 km, end 1886 2504 km.

On 18 December 1908, the nationalization of the network of Chemins de fer de l' Ouest, which put forward the ' ETAT " in the series of great railway companies of France took place. The end of 1910 comprised the old network in operation the " ETAT " 2831 km, , the additional power of the Chemins de fer de l' Ouest 6068 km, for a total of 8899 km.

Transfer to the State Railway

The " ETAT " in 1938 integrated into the new national company SNCF.