Grande Ceinture line
Encyclopedia
The Grande Ceinture line (French - Ligne de Grande Ceinture) is a railway
line round Paris
15 km from the Boulevard Périphérique. The decision to build it was taken at the end of the 19th century, to connect the radial lines linking the capital to the provinces and to relieve the existing Ligne de Petite Ceinture
.
The Grande Ceinture is now entirely dedicated to freight traffic in its northern and eastern section between Sartrouville and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
, linking up the western (Normandy
), northern (Picardie
, Benelux
, Great Britain
), east (Lorraine
, Alsace
, Germany
) and south-eastern and south-western routes and their extensions into Italy
, Switzerland
and Spain
, not forgetting the connections between the different factories of Île-de-France
. It linked up the marshalling yard
s of Achères, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and Bourget until the closure of the first two of these in 2005-2006. Intense traffic (more than 200 trains a day) on certain sections, notably in Seine-Saint-Denis
, are at saturation level.
To the west, a short section, between Sartrouville and Achères
, is used in common with the Paris-Rouen line, and with one of the branches of RER A
.
The southern section, between Versailles-Chantiers and Juvisy is also used by suburban trains (RER C
) and TGV
services (Le Havre
-Rouen
-Lyon
-Marseille
link).
Only the Achères
-Versailles section is out of use; it was partially reopened to passenger traffic on 12 December 2004 on the Saint-Germain-en-Laye
-Noisy-le-Roi
section (projet GCO
).
and gare d'Austerlitz.
In 1882, the section between Noisy-le-Sec, Le Bourget
and Achères
was inaugurated. A station was built at Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
In 1883, the section between Juvisy and Versailles was opened, then in 1886 that between Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
and Massy-Palaiseau. This last section was demanded by the army.
In 1939, most of the Grande Ceinture closed to passenger traffic, which was left with only the Versailles - Massy-Palaiseau - Juvisy-sur-Orge section. The line thus became principally mercantile in traffic.
Passenger traffic between Orly and Pont-de-Rungis reopened in 1969, then that between Pont-de-Rungis and Massy-Palaiseau in 1977. On 30 September 1979, this latter section was integrated into RER C
.
Between 2005 and the end of 2006 the marshalling yards of Achères and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges closed ; the Grande Ceinture thus no longer links the marshalling yard at Le Bourget to the radial lines.
The Grande Ceinture's role always essentially erred towards freight rather than passenger transportation. As one can see on the timetables in May 1914, the number of passenger trains of travelers was limited, as was their speed. Running through areas that were then under-urbanised and not linking into the necessary suburban rail-routes, it is thus unsurprising that the Grande Ceinture's passenger service proved unable to withstand the increasing use of cars, buses and other modes of transport.
its southern section with a continuous current of 1500 Volts. At the end of January 1945, the decision was taken to electrify the Valenton-Juvisy (via Orly) section, and electric services on this section were running as early as September of the same year. In its wake, the Juvisy-Versailles and Orly-Massy sections were also electrified, with electric trains going into service on them on February 6, 1947.
The radial lines at the exit to gare du Nord
and gare de l'Est
were electrified, running single-phase
25 kV-50 Hz at the end of the 1950s. In this era, electrifying the Grande Ceinture's eastern section became necessary so that freight trains could run along the Ceinture without a break. To this end, the junction section from Stains (Paris-Creil line) to Noisy-le-Sec was switched on as an electric line on 21 July 1959. The Argenteuil-Stains and Bobigny-Gagny sections on the "Complémentaire" were, in their turn, electrified with 25kV on 14 September 1970.
to Lyon
was proposed using the Grande Ceinture Est routes from the junction at Stains to Valenton. Traffic then runs through Noisy-le-Sec but certain trains also loan the "Complémentaire" if there are engineering works or other disruptions. The success of this new scheme led SNCF to offer a second daily round-trip ticket as early as 1985. Until Autumn 1986, trains were coupled at Valenton with a new direct Rouen-Lyon service, using the Grande Ceinture Sud, from Versailles-Chantiers to Valenton through Massy-Palaiseau. The TGV Lille-Lyon no longer uses the Grande Ceinture since the opening of the LGV Interconnexion Est in 1994.
and l'aéroport de Roissy
, using the LGV Normandie
, the Grande Ceinture Nord until Stains
, or a new interchange station onto the LGV Nord
. This project appeared in the preliminaries of the SDRIF of November 2006.
Rail transport
Rail transport is a means of conveyance of passengers and goods by way of wheeled vehicles running on rail tracks. In contrast to road transport, where vehicles merely run on a prepared surface, rail vehicles are also directionally guided by the tracks they run on...
line round Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
15 km from the Boulevard Périphérique. The decision to build it was taken at the end of the 19th century, to connect the radial lines linking the capital to the provinces and to relieve the existing Ligne de Petite Ceinture
Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture
The Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture was a Parisian railway that, from 1852, was a circular connection between Paris' main railroad stations within the fortified walls of the city...
.
Description
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:Villeneuve-Saint-Georges is served by two stations on Paris RER line D: Villeneuve – Triage and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.-Demography:-International...
, linking up the western (Normandy
Normandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
), northern (Picardie
Picardie
Picardy is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.-History:The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department...
, Benelux
Benelux
The Benelux is an economic union in Western Europe comprising three neighbouring countries, Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. These countries are located in northwestern Europe between France and Germany...
, Great Britain
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
), east (Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) and south-eastern and south-western routes and their extensions into Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
, not forgetting the connections between the different factories of Île-de-France
Île-de-France (région)
Île-de-France is the wealthiest and most populated of the twenty-two administrative regions of France, composed mostly of the Paris metropolitan area....
. It linked up the marshalling yard
Classification yard
A classification yard or marshalling yard is a railroad yard found at some freight train stations, used to separate railroad cars on to one of several tracks. First the cars are taken to a track, sometimes called a lead or a drill...
s of Achères, Villeneuve-Saint-Georges and Bourget until the closure of the first two of these in 2005-2006. Intense traffic (more than 200 trains a day) on certain sections, notably in Seine-Saint-Denis
Seine-Saint-Denis
- Culture :A number of hip hop artists come from the Seine-Saint-Denis, including one of the first major hip-hop groups in France, NTM, as well as Lord Kossity, or more recent acts such as Tandem or Sefyu.- Miscellaneous topics :...
, are at saturation level.
To the west, a short section, between Sartrouville and Achères
Achères, Yvelines
Achères is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Achères lies on the south bank of the Seine in a loop of the river, on the edge of the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye...
, is used in common with the Paris-Rouen line, and with one of the branches of RER A
RER A
The RER A is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France.The line runs from the western terminuses Saint-Germain-en-Laye , Cergy Le Haut , and Poissy to the eastern terminuses Boissy-Saint-Léger and Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy .* First inauguration: 12 December 1969*...
.
The southern section, between Versailles-Chantiers and Juvisy is also used by suburban trains (RER C
RER C
The RER C is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France. It is operated by SNCF.The line runs from the northwestern terminuses Pontoise , Versailles – Rive Gauche and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to the southeastern terminuses Massy-Palaiseau , Dourdan-la-Forêt , ...
) and TGV
TGV
The TGV is France's high-speed rail service, currently operated by SNCF Voyages, the long-distance rail branch of SNCF, the French national rail operator....
services (Le Havre
Le Havre
Le Havre is a city in the Seine-Maritime department of the Haute-Normandie region in France. It is situated in north-western France, on the right bank of the mouth of the river Seine on the English Channel. Le Havre is the most populous commune in the Haute-Normandie region, although the total...
-Rouen
Rouen
Rouen , in northern France on the River Seine, is the capital of the Haute-Normandie region and the historic capital city of Normandy. Once one of the largest and most prosperous cities of medieval Europe , it was the seat of the Exchequer of Normandy in the Middle Ages...
-Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
-Marseille
Marseille
Marseille , known in antiquity as Massalia , is the second largest city in France, after Paris, with a population of 852,395 within its administrative limits on a land area of . The urban area of Marseille extends beyond the city limits with a population of over 1,420,000 on an area of...
link).
Only the Achères
Achères, Yvelines
Achères is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Achères lies on the south bank of the Seine in a loop of the river, on the edge of the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye...
-Versailles section is out of use; it was partially reopened to passenger traffic on 12 December 2004 on the Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye
Saint-Germain-en-Laye is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France in north-central France. It is located in the western suburbs of Paris from the centre.Inhabitants are called Saint-Germanois...
-Noisy-le-Roi
Noisy-le-Roi
Noisy-le-Roi is a commune in the Yvelines department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.-References:*...
section (projet GCO
Grande ceinture Ouest
The Grande ceinture Ouest line is a 10km long section of the Grande Ceinture de Paris, located in Yvelines and reopened to the public on 12 December 2004, after being closed to passengers for 68 years. Managed by the SNCF, it links Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Noisy-le-Roi, via Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche...
).
History
Construction
Decided upon in 1875, the Grande Ceinture opened in 1877 berween Noisy-le-Sec and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges. On 16 July, a passenger service was put in place between gare de l'EstGare de l'Est
is one of the six large SNCF termini in Paris. It is in the 10th arrondissement, not far from the Gare du Nord, facing the Boulevard de Strasbourg, part of the north-south axis of Paris created by Baron Haussmann...
and gare d'Austerlitz.
In 1882, the section between Noisy-le-Sec, Le Bourget
Gare du Bourget
Le Bourget is an RER station in Le Bourget, a northern suburb of Paris, in Seine-Saint-Denis department France. The station is in Zone 3 of the Carte orange. It is situated on the RER B suburban railway line....
and Achères
Achères, Yvelines
Achères is a commune in the Yvelines department in north-central France. It is located from the center of Paris.The commune of Achères lies on the south bank of the Seine in a loop of the river, on the edge of the Forest of Saint-Germain-en-Laye...
was inaugurated. A station was built at Saint-Germain-en-Laye.
In 1883, the section between Juvisy and Versailles was opened, then in 1886 that between Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges
Villeneuve-Saint-Georges is a commune in the southeastern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Transport:Villeneuve-Saint-Georges is served by two stations on Paris RER line D: Villeneuve – Triage and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges.-Demography:-International...
and Massy-Palaiseau. This last section was demanded by the army.
In 1939, most of the Grande Ceinture closed to passenger traffic, which was left with only the Versailles - Massy-Palaiseau - Juvisy-sur-Orge section. The line thus became principally mercantile in traffic.
Passenger traffic between Orly and Pont-de-Rungis reopened in 1969, then that between Pont-de-Rungis and Massy-Palaiseau in 1977. On 30 September 1979, this latter section was integrated into RER C
RER C
The RER C is one of the five lines in the RER rapid transit system serving :Paris, France. It is operated by SNCF.The line runs from the northwestern terminuses Pontoise , Versailles – Rive Gauche and Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines to the southeastern terminuses Massy-Palaiseau , Dourdan-la-Forêt , ...
.
Between 2005 and the end of 2006 the marshalling yards of Achères and Villeneuve-Saint-Georges closed ; the Grande Ceinture thus no longer links the marshalling yard at Le Bourget to the radial lines.
Grande ceinture complémentaire
In 1924 it was decided to create the "Grande Ceinture complémentaire" between Noisy-le-Sec and Sucy-Bonneuil. This line opened in 1928 for freight and in 1932 for passenger traffic. The section between Bobigny and Sucy-Bonneuil was built later.Deserted by travellers
Electrification
The desire to introduce large freight trains onto the Grande Ceinture gave rise to the project to electrifyRailway electrification system
A railway electrification system supplies electrical energy to railway locomotives and multiple units as well as trams so that they can operate without having an on-board prime mover. There are several different electrification systems in use throughout the world...
its southern section with a continuous current of 1500 Volts. At the end of January 1945, the decision was taken to electrify the Valenton-Juvisy (via Orly) section, and electric services on this section were running as early as September of the same year. In its wake, the Juvisy-Versailles and Orly-Massy sections were also electrified, with electric trains going into service on them on February 6, 1947.
The radial lines at the exit to gare du Nord
Gare du Nord
Paris Nord is one of the six large terminus railway stations of the SNCF mainline network for Paris, France. It offers connections with several urban transportation lines, including Paris Métro and RER...
and gare de l'Est
Gare de l'Est
is one of the six large SNCF termini in Paris. It is in the 10th arrondissement, not far from the Gare du Nord, facing the Boulevard de Strasbourg, part of the north-south axis of Paris created by Baron Haussmann...
were electrified, running single-phase
Single-phase electric power
In electrical engineering, single-phase electric power refers to the distribution of alternating current electric power using a system in which all the voltages of the supply vary in unison. Single-phase distribution is used when loads are mostly lighting and heating, with few large electric motors...
25 kV-50 Hz at the end of the 1950s. In this era, electrifying the Grande Ceinture's eastern section became necessary so that freight trains could run along the Ceinture without a break. To this end, the junction section from Stains (Paris-Creil line) to Noisy-le-Sec was switched on as an electric line on 21 July 1959. The Argenteuil-Stains and Bobigny-Gagny sections on the "Complémentaire" were, in their turn, electrified with 25kV on 14 September 1970.
TGV use
From the winter service in 1984 onwards, a new direct TGV link from LilleLille
Lille is a city in northern France . It is the principal city of the Lille Métropole, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the country behind those of Paris, Lyon and Marseille. Lille is situated on the Deûle River, near France's border with Belgium...
to Lyon
Lyon
Lyon , is a city in east-central France in the Rhône-Alpes region, situated between Paris and Marseille. Lyon is located at from Paris, from Marseille, from Geneva, from Turin, and from Barcelona. The residents of the city are called Lyonnais....
was proposed using the Grande Ceinture Est routes from the junction at Stains to Valenton. Traffic then runs through Noisy-le-Sec but certain trains also loan the "Complémentaire" if there are engineering works or other disruptions. The success of this new scheme led SNCF to offer a second daily round-trip ticket as early as 1985. Until Autumn 1986, trains were coupled at Valenton with a new direct Rouen-Lyon service, using the Grande Ceinture Sud, from Versailles-Chantiers to Valenton through Massy-Palaiseau. The TGV Lille-Lyon no longer uses the Grande Ceinture since the opening of the LGV Interconnexion Est in 1994.
TGV Normandie-Roissy
It is planned to produce a TGV link between NormandyNormandy
Normandy is a geographical region corresponding to the former Duchy of Normandy. It is in France.The continental territory covers 30,627 km² and forms the preponderant part of Normandy and roughly 5% of the territory of France. It is divided for administrative purposes into two régions:...
and l'aéroport de Roissy
Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 – TGV
Aéroport Charles de Gaulle 2 TGV is a railway station located in terminal two D of Charles de Gaulle Airport in Tremblay-en-France, North Paris, France.-Services:Both TGV and RER B trains stop at the station, as it a terminus of the RER B...
, using the LGV Normandie
LGV Normandie
The LGV Normandie is a French high-speed rail project to link Paris and Normandy.-History:The 1991 diagram of the proposed LGV network already included the LGV Normandie. This was to begin in the Parisian suburbs and would split into two branches near Mantes-la-Jolie; one leading towards Rouen, the...
, the Grande Ceinture Nord until Stains
Stains
Stains is a commune in the northern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris.-Heraldry:-Transport:Stains is served by Pierrefitte – Stains station on Paris RER line D...
, or a new interchange station onto the LGV Nord
LGV Nord
The LGV Nord is a French 333-kilometre long high speed rail line, opened in 1993, that connects Paris to the Belgian border and the Channel Tunnel via Lille....
. This project appeared in the preliminaries of the SDRIF of November 2006.
See also
- Tangentielle NordTangentielle NordThe Tangentielle Nord is a planned suburban railway line in France.-Route:The route is planned to be 28 km long, from Sartrouville to Noisy-le-Sec, in the northern suburbs of Paris. It will have interchanges with existing SNCF Transilien trains, trams, metro, and RER lines A, B, C, and D...
- Tangentielle Ouest
- Tangentielle Sud
- Chemin de fer de Petite CeintureChemin de fer de Petite CeintureThe Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture was a Parisian railway that, from 1852, was a circular connection between Paris' main railroad stations within the fortified walls of the city...
- TransilienTransilienThe Transilien is the brand name for suburban railway services of the SNCF-owned railway network operating within the Île-de-France région...
- Grande ceinture OuestGrande ceinture OuestThe Grande ceinture Ouest line is a 10km long section of the Grande Ceinture de Paris, located in Yvelines and reopened to the public on 12 December 2004, after being closed to passengers for 68 years. Managed by the SNCF, it links Saint-Germain-en-Laye to Noisy-le-Roi, via Saint-Nom-la-Bretèche...