Martigny–Châtelard Railway

Narrow gauge railway line in canton of Valais, Switzerland

3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gaugeElectrification850 V DC Overhead line (3rd rail on rack sections)Maximum inclineadhesion 7%
Rack 20%

Route map

Legend

elev

from Brig

MO to Sembrancher–

Orsières/Le Châble

TrMB to Martigny–Bourg

0.0 km

0 mi

Martigny

467 m

to Lausanne

1.1 km

0.7 mi

Les Fumeaux

460 m

3.9 km

2.4 mi

Vernayaz MC

457 m

depot and workshop

Buvette (83 m)

Bourgout (132 m)

Charbons (419 m)

7.4 km

4.6 mi

Salvan

934 m

Marécottes (63 m)

8.8 km

5.5 mi

Les Marécottes

1030 m

9.4 km

5.8 mi

La Médettaz

1040 m

Triège (153 m)

10.6 km

6.6 mi

Le Trétien

1059 m

Petit-Lachat (12 m)

Grand-Lachat (580 m)

13.9 km

8.6 mi

Finhaut

1224 m

Revenez (49 m)

Grosse-Larze (82 m)

Balayé (180 m)

Bébolaz (50 m)

Châtelaret (143 m)

17.0 km

10.6 mi

Le Châtelard VS

1226 m

Châtelard covered gallery (17 m)

18.1 km

11.2 mi

Le Châtelard-Frontière

border station to France

1116 m

18.4 km

11.4 mi

36.6 km

22.7 mi

Switzerland

France

Châtelard (143 m)

34.1 km

21.2 mi

Vallorcine

1260 m

continuing as

Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway

Source: Swiss railway atlas^[1]

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.

Contact 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

2 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.