The railway from Moret-Veneux-les-Sablons to Lyon is a French 492-kilometre long railway line, that connects the Paris region to the city Lyon via Nevers and Saint-ÃÂtienne. The railway was opened in several stages between 1828 and 1861. The section between Saint-ÃÂtienne and Saint-Just-sur-Loire was the first railway line in France. It has functioned as an alternative (but longer) line for the ParisâÂÂMarseille railway between Paris and Lyon. Its main use, besides local traffic, is now for the connection between Paris and Clermont-Ferrand.
The line branches off the ParisâÂÂMarseille railway at the MoretâÂÂVeneux-les-Sablons station, and leaves in a southwestern direction. It follows the river Loing upstream, turning south near Nemours and passing through Montargis, where it leaves the Loing. At Gien it starts following the river Loire upstream along its right bank, in a generally southern direction. It passes through Cosne-sur-Loire, and the railway junction Nevers, where it crosses the Loire. At Saincaize the line to Bourges branches off.
From Saincaize, the line follows the right Allier bank south. It passes through Moulins. At Saint-Germain-des-Fossés two lines to Clermont-Ferrand (one via Gannat, one via Vichy) branch off. The MoretâÂÂLyon railway leaves the Allier and turns east. It passes through the Monts de la Madeleine, northern foothills of the Massif Central. It crosses the Loire between Roanne and Le Coteau, where the shorter line to Lyon via Tarare branches off.
This is where the oldest section of the line starts. It continues south, parallel to the Loire, passing through Feurs and along Andrézieux-Bouthéon, where it meets the line from Clermont-Ferrand via Montbrison. At Saint-ÃÂtienne the line from Le Puy-en-Velay joins, and the line continues northeast through Saint-Chamond and Rive-de-Gier. At Givors on the river Rhône it turns north, finally arriving in Lyon after 492 km.
The main stations on the MoretâÂÂLyon railway are:
The first railways that were opened in France were primarily meant for freight traffic in the mining area around the industrial city Saint-ÃÂtienne. These railways were united in the Compagnie du chemin de fer Grand-Central de France in 1853, and at the dissolution of that company in 1857 the eastern part of the Grand-Central network was bought by the Chemins de fer de Paris àLyon et àla Méditerranée.
The first section of the MoretâÂÂLyon railway that was opened in 1828 led from Saint-ÃÂtienne to Saint-Just-sur-Loire. Saint-ÃÂtienne and Lyon were connected between 1830 and 1833. In 1834 the line was extended in northern direction from Saint-Just to Le Coteau, near Roanne. In 1850 a line from Nevers to Saincaize was built. This section was extended south to Varennes-sur-Allier in 1853, to Saint-Germain-des-Fossés in 1854 and to Lapalisse in 1857. Lapalisse and Le Coteau were connected in 1858. In the north, MoretâÂÂVeneux-les-Sablons on the ParisâÂÂMarseille railway was connected to Montargis in 1860. Finally in 1861 the section from Montargis to Nevers was opened.
The MoretâÂÂLyon railway is used by the following passenger services: