| Panoramique des Dômes | |
|---|---|
 The train at the bottom of Puy de Dôme | |
| Overview | |
| Status | in operation |
| Owner | Département du Puy-de-Dôme |
| Locale | Puy de Dôme, France |
| Service | |
| Operator(s) | SNC-Lavalin |
| History | |
| Opened | 26 May 2012 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 5.2 km (3.2 mi) |
| Number of tracks | single |
| Rack system | Strub |
| Track gauge | 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge |
| Electrification | 1500 V, DC overhead line |
The Panoramique des Dômes is a 5.2-kilometre (3.2 mi)-long rack railway that allows access to the top of the Puy de Dôme, in France, since mid-2012.
The railway is owned by the Conseil général du Puy-de-Dôme.
The train has a capacity of 1,200 persons an hour.
History
There was a railway with a non-rack central rail on the Puy de Dôme (using the Hanscotte system) from 1907 to 1925.[1][2] Construction of the railway started in 1906. It connected Lamartine in Clermont-Ferrand (elevation 390 metres [1,280 ft]) to an artificial platform near the mountain top at 1,414 metres (4,639 ft). The railway was 14.7 km (9.1 mi) long and operated between 1907 and 1926 at a loss.
The Conseil général du Puy-de-Dôme voted for construction of the new railway in 2008. Construction work was started by SNC-Lavalin in March 2010.[3] SNC-Lavalin operated the railway under a 35-year agreement with the public service.
Traffic was stopped in October 2012 after an accident involving an empty railcar. The operator was replaced by SFTA, a subsidiary of Transdev specialising in mountain railways, and the line was reopened on 2 May 2013.[4]
Rolling Stock
The Swiss firm Stadler received an order for 4 articulated motor cars in November 2009 of the type GTW 2/6.
- Weight : 45 tonnes (44 long tons; 50 short tons).
- Train length : 36.5 metres (119 ft 9 in)
- Capacity: 200 (112 seating and 88 standing)
In April 2023, it was announced that Stadler, along with local company ACC M, are to undertake the mid-life refurbishment of the four motor cars. One trainset will be refurbished at a time, with the first to be taken out of services after the summer of 2023 and completed before the summer of 2024.[5]
See also
References
- ↑ "Conseil général du Puy-de-Dôme (CG63) : Panoramique des Dômes, le train". Archived from the original on 2010-08-23. Retrieved 2010-09-06.
- ↑ http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/peclegg/sncf/articles/article.html
- ↑ Rendez-vous au sommet dans deux ans Archived 2010-03-14 at the Wayback Machine - La Montagne - Julien Dodon - 10 MARS 2010
- ↑ Press release, 15 April 2013 (in French)
- ↑ "Panoramique des Dômes mountain railway trains to be refurbished". Railway Gazette International. 16 April 2023. Archived from the original on 17 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.