Paris–Brest railway

The railway from Paris to Brest is a 622-kilometre long railway line in France that connects Paris and the western port city Brest, via Le Mans and Rennes. It is used for passenger (express, regional and suburban) and freight traffic.

Paris–Brest railway
Railway viaduct in Morlaix
Overview
SystemSNCF
StatusOperational
LocaleFrance (Île-de-France, Centre-Val de Loire,
Normandy, Pays de la Loire,
Brittany)
TerminiGare Montparnasse, Paris
Gare de Brest
Operation
Opened1840-1865
OwnerRFF
Operator(s)SNCF
Technical
Line length622 km (386 mi)
Number of tracksDouble track[1]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
ElectrificationParis–Le Mans 1.5 kV DC,
Le Mans–Brest 25 kV 50 Hz[2]
Route map

0.0
Former Gare Montparnasse
(57m)
0.5
Paris-Montparnasse
(57m)
1.2
LGV Atlantique to Le Mans and Bordeaux
3.7
Vanves–Malakoff
(71m)
5.1
Clamart
(77m)
7.6
Meudon
8.5
Bellevue
9.6
Sèvres-Rive-Gauche
12.5
Chaville-Rive-Gauche
RER C from Invalides
13.9
Viroflay-Rive-Gauche
(111m)
from Chaville-Rive-Droite
RER C to Versailles-Rive-Gauche
Grande Ceinture from Massy-Palaiseau
16.6
Versailles-Chantiers
(132m)
Grande Ceinture to Sartrouville
21.4
Saint-Cyr
(159m)
to Granville
24.0
Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines
(163m)
27.1
Trappes
(168m)
32.2
La Verrière
(170m)
34.3
Coignières
37.7
Les Essarts-le-Roi
41.8
Le Perray
47.8
Rambouillet
52.7
Gazeran
60.3
Épernon
68.1
Maintenon
72.8
Saint-Piat
77.3
Jouy
81.5
La Villette-Saint-Prest
from Gallardon
87.1
Chartres
(142m)
to Dreux
to Orléans
to Mondoubleau
94.2
Amilly-Ouerray
98.6
Saint-Aubin – Saint-Luperce
105.9
Courville-sur-Eure
113.4
Pontgouin
from Senonches
123.6
La Loupe
134.3
Bretoncelles
140.9
Condé-sur-Huisne
148.1
Nogent-le-Rotrou
159.0
Le Theil – La Rouge
169.0
La Ferté-Bernard
178.1
Sceaux – Boëssé
from Bonnétable
186.7
Connerré – Beillé
LGV Atlantique from Paris-Montparnasse
to Rennes – Nantes LGV BPL
193.9
Montfort-le-Gesnois
197.2
Saint-Mars-la-Brière
199.6
Champagné
Line to Tours
211.0
Le Mans
(51m)
Line to Angers
214.9
to Mézidon
LGV BPL Paris – Rennes
Racc. de La Milesse-Freight
231.2
Domfront-en-Champagne
234.7
Conlie
241.3
Crissé
246.5
Sillé-le-Guillaume
252.4
Rouessé-Vassé
260.0
Voutré
269.4
Évron
275.5
Neau
281.4
Montsûrs
from Flers
294.6
Louverné
LGV BPL Rennes – Paris
300.1
Laval
(70m)
LGV BPL Paris – Rennes
300.8
River Mayenne
310.0
Le Genest
317.1
Port-Brillet
321.5
Saint-Pierre-la-Cour
335.9
Vitré
(90m)
to La Selle-en-Luitré
345.8
Les Lacs
352.6
Châteaubourg
357.3
Servon
362.2
Noyal – Acigné
367.9
Cesson-Sévigné
from Paris LGV BPL
from Châteaubriant
373.3
Rennes
(31m)
Line to Redon
Line to Saint-Malo
385.1
L'Hermitage – Mordelles
391.4
Breteil
395.5
Montfort-sur-Meu
405.5
Montauban-de-Bretagne
410.6
La Brohinière
to Mauron
415.4
Quédillac
419.5
Caulnes
427.8
Broons
438.1
Plénée-Jugon
447.0
Plestan
Line from Dinan and Lison
454.3
Lamballe
(56m)
465.0
Yffiniac
from Le Légué
474.6
Saint-Brieuc
(99m)
to Loudéac
481.2
La Méaugon
485.0
Plouvara – Plerneuf
491.9
Châtelaudren – Plouagat
504.7
Guingamp
(99m)
Réseau Breton to Carhaix
Réseau Breton to Paimpol
519.8
Belle-Isle – Bégard
530.9
Plouaret-Trégor
(123m)
Line to Lannion
539.1
Plounérin
553.4
Plouigneau
562.8
Morlaix
(61m)
to Roscoff
571.8
Pleyber-Christ
577.4
Saint-Thégonnec
581.7
Guimiliau
589.1
Landivisiau
599.0
La Roche-Maurice
Line from Quimper
603.6
Landerneau
(21m)
608.4
La Forest
615.0
Kerhuon
622.4
Brest
(43m)

The railway was opened in several stages between 1840 and 1865.[3]

Route

Map of the line

The railway leaves Paris-Montparnasse in southwestern direction for the first 3 km, and turns west at Malakoff, skirting the southern quarters of the city of Versailles. It turns southwest again until Maintenon, where it starts following the river Eure upstream, passing Chartres. At La Loupe, it leaves the Eure valley in southwestern direction until it enters the Huisne valley at Condé-sur-Huisne. It follows the Huisne downstream to Le Mans, where it turns northwest. At Sillé-le-Guillaume it turns west, crossing the river Mayenne in Laval.

After Vitré, it follows the river Vilaine downstream to Rennes. It continues roughly northwest to Lamballe, where it turns west. Just before Saint-Brieuc (at Yffiniac), it nearly touches the English Channel coast. It continues west through Guingamp and Morlaix until it reaches its terminus Brest, at a bay of the Atlantic Ocean.

TGV high speed trains with destination Le Mans and further west use the LGV Atlantique between Paris and Connerré (20 km east of Le Mans) instead of the "classic" line.

Main stations

  • Gare Montparnasse (Paris)
  • Gare de Versailles-Chantiers
  • Gare de Chartres
  • Gare du Mans
  • Gare de Laval
  • Gare de Vitré
  • Gare de Rennes
  • Gare de Lamballe
  • Gare de Saint-Brieuc
  • Gare de Guingamp
  • Gare de Plouaret-Trégor
  • Gare de Morlaix
  • Gare de Landerneau
  • Gare de Brest

Line history

The railway Paris–Brest was first built and exploited by the Chemins de Fer de l'Ouest.[4] The oldest section of the line is the part between Paris and Viroflay, built in 1840 as part of the railway between Paris and the city of Versailles. The part between Viroflay and Chartres was opened in 1849, Chartres–La Loupe in 1852, La Loupe–Le Mans in 1854, Le Mans–Laval in 1855, Laval–Rennes in 1857, followed by Rennes–Guingamp in 1863 and Guingamp–Brest in 1865.[3]

Technical information

The line is on a double track in its entirety.[1] The gauge is the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge. The overhead current is 1.5 kV DC between Paris and Le Mans, and 25 kV 50 Hz between Le Mans and Brest.[2] The train protection system Contrôle de vitesse par balises (KVB) is operational on the Paris - Saint-Brieuc section.[5] The signaling is either block automatique lumineux (BAL) or block automatique à permissivité restreinte (BAPR) on the whole line.

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References

  1. "RFF - Map of all railway lines" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 18, 2011.
  2. "RFF - Map of electrified railway lines" (PDF).
  3. Direction Générale des Ponts et Chaussées et des Chemins de Fer (1869). Statistique centrale des chemins de fer. Chemins de fer français. Situation au 31 décembre 1869 (in French). Paris: Ministère des Travaux Publics. pp. 146–160.
  4. Joanne, Adolphe (1859). Atlas historique et statistique des chemins de fer français (in French). Paris: L. Hachette. p. 39.
  5. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-26. Retrieved 2013-04-02.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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