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Tonkin line
The "ligne du Tonkin" ("Tonkin line") is located on the south (left) bank of lake Geneva, in the French Chablais, between Évian-les-Bains and Saint Gingolph (border with Swiss Valais). It is an 11 mile long single track leg, running from Évian station to the border (viaduct over the Morge river). On either side of this leg, west from Évian and east from Saint-Gingolph as well, regular railway service is being run.
Opened at the end of the XIXth century, passenger traffic was given up as early as 1938, and transferred to road services (already!). Freight services subsisted until 1988. The railway line knew a short reprieve thanks to the summer tourist service of the "Rive-Bleue Express", opened two years earlier, but this service was too given up in 1999 for want of sufficient credit. Since then, nature has gradually reasserted itself over the tracks, slowed down however by the piling up of miscellaneous rubbish.
Rehabilitation of this line is wished by A.L.P.-Rail, since it would allow to link Évian to the Swiss Valais and, beyond that, make the French Chablais less isolated, with prospects of a real border-free regional express railway network.
It has become impossible not to mention
the tremendous work of the Sauvons le Tonkin association (member of A.L.P. Rail).
(external link towards the association's website)
(external link towards the blog)
Please note : both links open pages in French.
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