The Train des Mouettes (formerly the Seudre Tourist Railway) is a tourist train that has been operating since 1984 on the 21 km of railway between Saujon and La Tremblade on the Saujon to La Grève line in France. As the only steam railway in Charente Maritime (Nouvelle Aquitaine), it serves the stations of Fontbedeau, Mornac-sur-Seudre, Chaillevette, ÃÂtaules, and Arvert.
The 'Compagnie du chemin de fer de la Seudre' was founded on 25 April 1868 and required several years of negotiations before construction could commence. The line was opened to traffic on 8 April 1876 following completion of the section from La Tremblade to Saujon with an inaugural train running on 25 June 1876. It was later extended to the La Grève channel in La Tremblade.
In 1880, the line was acquired by the administration of the âÂÂChemins de fer de l'ÃÂtatâÂÂ, which also absorbed the bankrupt Compagnie des chemins de fer de l'Ouest in 1908. àThe state network, after merging with other national railway companies in 1938, became the SNCF.
In 1939, the line was closed to passenger traffic but continued its operations for freight transport.
In 1980, the SNCF closed the line to all traffic, with the exception of oyster trains operating from La Tremblade. Subsequently, the section between La Tremblade station and the La Grève terminus was dismantled.
In 1984, the Seudre Tourist Railway (French: âÂÂAssociation du Chemin de Fer Touristique de la SeudreâÂÂ, CFTS) revived the line by running a tourist train.
In 2002, CFTS ceased tourist operations. The infrastructure (track, stations and Chaillevette depot) was then acquired by the department of Charente-Maritime.
Between 2004 and 2006, the line's operation was entrusted to the company Veolia Transport through its subsidiary CFTA.
No trains ran in 2007.
In 2008, the âÂÂTrains & Tractionâ association took over the operation of the line and secured its activity, reporting about 9800 passengers during the year.
Tourist operations take place from early May to late September, with daily runs in July and August. Some special trains are organised in-season or off-season, such as the "Train des Loupiotes" or the "Train ÃÂclade de moules".
The office is located at Saujon Chemin Vert station, and the workshop is in Chaillevette, at the centre of the line.
In the summer of 2021, a train composed of restaurant cars hauled by a diesel locomotive, the Seudre Océan Express, entered service. àThe journey included a round trip between Saujon and Chaillevette, lasting about 3 hours, with a meal (lunch or dinner) prepared onboard from regional products and served at seats, without passengers disembarking during the journey.
The Seudre Océan Express ran regularly in 2022, especially during the holiday season, raising the total number of passengers carried in the year to 45000. The service was extended to 2023.
The 21km route has 69 level crossings.
The depot and workshop is located in Chaillevette, halfway along the line, and was expanded in 2015.
In 2020, two turntables were installed, one at each end of the line, allowing locomotives to be turned.
The railway has about 60 items of rolling stock, of which 18 are classed as 'Historic Monuments':
In September 2016 in Chaillevette, the restoration of a train of six wagons known as type "US 1917" began. This work, which received the support of the Heritage Foundation and the United States World War I Centennial Commission, involved two covered wagons, a flat wagon with stanchions, a gondola, a tank and a low sided wagon. At the end of October 2017, the first two left the Train des Mouettes workshops. This rolling stock was restored to the original livery of the American Expeditionary Force of the First World War. The two wagons were exhibited in La Rochelle from 9 to 19 November 2017, as part of the centenary of the arrival of American soldiers during the First World War. It was in La Rochelle that parts for 37,800 wagons were unloaded, to be assembled by American soldiers, then, once peace returned, by the Middletown Car Company based in Aytré, Charente-Maritime, France.