Martigny Chatelard Railway

Martigny Châtelard Railway

The Martigny Châtelard Railway, abbreviated MC, French Chemins de fer Martigny Châtelard, is a 19 km (11.8 mi) 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3/8 in) metre gauge rack railway in the canton of Valais, Switzerland. The transport company "Chemin de fer de Martigny Châtelard" merged in 2001, the resulting Transports de Martigny et Régions now markets this line and the connecting Saint Gervais-Vallorcine railway as Mont Blanc Express.

Martigny Châtelard Railway Connections with the other Networks

At Martigny it connects with the Lausanne-Brig line of the Swiss Federal Railways

At Le Châtelard (Finhaut) it connects with the Saint-Gervais-Vallorcine railway which in turn joins the standard gauge SNCF at Le Fayet station of Saint Gervais les Bains. However the 3 km (1.86 mi) between Le Châtelard and Vallorcine is operated by the Chemin de Fer de Martigny au Châtelard.

Rolling Stock

Five Z 800 105-seater electric multiple units, delivered in 1997 by ADTranz and Vevey Technologies, in the context of a joint purchase with the Ligne de Saint Gervais - Vallorcine. This 1000 kW stock, composed of two motorcars, could run at 70 km/h (43.5 mph), it is equipped with a rack and pinion system and pantographs (in addition to the third rail collector shoe), so that it could perform direct runs to Vallorcine and beyond without the need to change trains.

Martigny-Châtelard Railway Merger with Martigny-Orsières Railway

This transport company merged 2001 with the Martigny-Orsières Railway and is now known as "Transports de Martigny et Régions".

Martigny-Châtelard Railway Overview

Martigny-Châtelard Railway Type:                        Part rack railway
Martigny-Châtelard Railway Local:                       Valais
Martigny-Châtelard Railway Line Length:           19 km (11.8 mi)
Martigny-Châtelard Railway Track Gauge:          1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3/8 in) metre gauge
Martigny-Châtelard Railway Electrification:        830 V DC Overhead line
Martigny-Châtelard RailwayMaximum Incline:   Adhesion 7%
Martigny-Châtelard Railway Rack:                         20%
Martigny-Châtelard Railway Rack System:          Strub