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Montenvers Railway
(Cog railway from Chamonix to Montenvers, above the Mer de Glace)
The Montenvers Railway or Chemin de fer du Montenvers is a mountain railway line in the Haute-Savoie region of France. The line runs from a connection with the SNCF, in Chamonix, to the Hotel de Montenvers station, at the Mer de Glace, at an altitude of 1913 m (6276 ft).
The line is 5.1 km (3.2mi) long and has a rail gauge of 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in). It is a rack and adhesion railway, using the Strub design to overcome a height difference of 871 m (2858 ft). Except for the terminal stations, which are operated in adhesion mode, the line has a gradient varying from 11% to 22% and is equipped with rack rail. The line is electrified using an overhead line at 11000 volts and 50 Hz ac, and service is provided by 6 electric railcars and 3 diesel locomotives. Trains run at 14 to 20 kilometres per hour and take 20 minutes for the journey.
The line is operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc which also manages the Mont Blanc Tramway and many ski lifts in the Mont Blanc region. The first section of the line opened in 1908 and the line was completed in 1909. The line was worked by steam locomotives until it was electrified in 1953.
Mont Blanc Tramway (Cog railway from St. Gervais to Nid d'Aigle at Mont Blanc)
The line runs from a connection with the SNCF at Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet station to the Nid d'Aigle station at the Bionnassay glacier at an altitude of 2372 m (7800 ft). The initial intention was for the line to reach the Aiguille du Goûter.
The line is 12.4 km (7.7mi) long and has a rail gauge of 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in). It is a rack and adhesion railway, using the Strub design to overcome a height difference of 1792 m (5900 ft). The line has an average gradient of 15% and a maximum gradient of 24%. Some 85% of the line is equipped with rack rail, with adhesion being used at the foot of the line and at intermediate crossing stations. The line is electrified using an overhead line at 11 kV and 50 Hz AC.
Operations
The line is operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc which also manages the Montenvers Railway and many ski lifts in the Mont Blanc region. The first section of the line, to the Col de Voza, was opened in 1907. The line reached its current terminus in August 1914 when work was suspended, because of World War I, and never resumed. The line was worked by steam locomotives until it was electrified in 1956.
The line is worked by three motor coaches which are named Anne, Marie and Jeanne. These were the names of the three daughters of the line's owner at the time of electrification.
The journey time is 1 hour from Fayet to Bellvue with four or five trips operating per day.
The Mont Blanc Tramway is featured in the film Malabar Princess.
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