Mont Cenis Pass Railway

As Mont- Cenis rail two rail lines are referred to on the border between France and Italy.

First Mont Cenis railway

The first Mont Cenis route went through the 2084 meter high Mont Cenis Pass. It was built during work on the Mont Cenis tunnel from the Private ferrovia del Mont Cenis. From 1868 until the opening of the Mont Cenis tunnel in 1871, the train departed with the track gauge of 1100 mm between Susa and Modane. She had a maximum slope of 88 per thousand, which could only be overcome with a center rail to the system fur to increase the wheel-rail friction. With the opening of the tunnel, the line was shut down. Parts of the route are still preserved. The private investors had speculated on a longer construction of the tunnel and thus a longer operating time of the route.

Today Mont Cenis railway

Today, people call the 140 km long railway line from Chambery to Bardonecchia as Mont Cenis railway. It was completed in 1871 with the opening of the Mont Cenis tunnel and has a maximum slope of 30 ‰. The 99 km long section from Chambery to Modane operates the French state railway SNCF, remaining distance, the Italian national railway company FS.

The northern entrance to the Mont Cenis tunnel above Modane is achieved through a hairpin curve east of Modane, which opens directly into the Mont Cenis tunnel. Following a reduction area had in 1881 the tunnel is to be laid. Thus, the length of the tunnel is enlarged to 13,657 meters. 1925, the section Chambéry- Modane was electrified with DC 1.5 kV. The current collection was carried out on the free section and the continuous main tracks of the stations via a lateral busbar, because of the risk of an accident the other station tracks were spanned by rule catenary. In 1976 this was replaced and relocated throughout the busbar operation. Modane and Turin had been electrified in 1912-20 with AC 3600 V and 16 Hz, since the 1960s, the usual in Italy direct current is used with 3 kV.

References and further reading

  • Freiherr von Röll: Mont Cenis Railway In: Encyclopedia of railways Volume 7, Berlin, Vienna 1915, p 301
  • Ascanio Schneider: Mountain railways of Europe, Orell Füssli Verlag Zurich, 2nd edition 1967, pp. 109, 111
  • Http://www.catskillarchive.com/rrextra/mrcenis.Html
  • Http://www.bahnbilder.de/name/galerie/kategorie/Frankreich ~ Galleries ~ region Mt Cenis Linie.html
  • Railroad track in Rhône -Alpes
  • Railway line in Piedmont
  • International railway
  • Track width 1100 mm
Fell mountain railway system Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane
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