Panoramique des Dômes

The Panoramique des Dômes is a 5.2 km long rack railway that allows access to the top of the Puy de Dôme, in France, since mid-2012.

Panoramique des Dômes
The train at the bottom of Puy de Dôme
Overview
Statusin operation
LocalePuy de Dôme, France
Operation
Opened26 May 2012
OwnerDépartement du Puy-de-Dôme
Operator(s)SNC-Lavalin
Technical
Line length5.2 km (3.2 mi)
Number of trackssingle
Track gauge1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge
Electrification1500 V, DC overhead line
Rack systemStrub

The railway is owned by the Conseil général du Puy-de-Dôme.

The train has a capacity of 1,200 persons an hour.

History
Share of the Clermont-Ferrand au Sommet du Puy-de-Dome railway company, issued 12. December 1907

There was a railway with a non-rack central rail on the Puy de Dôme (using the Hanscotte system) from 1907 to 1925.[1][2] Construction of the railway started in 1906. It connected Lamartine in Clermont-Ferrand (elevation 390 metres) to an artificial platform near the mountain top at 1,414 metres. The railway was 14.7 km long and operated between 1907 and 1926 at a loss.

The Conseil général du Puy-de-Dôme voted for construction of the new railway in 2008. Construction work was started by SNC-Lavalin in March 2010.[3] SNC-Lavalin operated the railway under a 35-year agreement with the public service.

Traffic was stopped in October 2012 after an accident involving an empty railcar. The operator was replaced by SFTA, a subsidiary of Transdev specialising in mountain railways, and the line was reopened on 2 May 2013.[4]

Rolling Stock

The Swiss firm Stadler received an order for 4 articulated motor cars in November 2009 of the type GTW 2/6.

Weight  : 45 tonnes (44 long tons; 50 short tons).
Train length  : 36.5 metres (119 ft 9 in)
Capacity: 200 (112 seating and 88 standing)

References
  1. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-08-23. Retrieved 2010-09-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. Rendez-vous au sommet dans deux ans Archived 2010-03-14 at the Wayback Machine - La Montagne - Julien Dodon - 10 MARS 2010
  4. Press release, 15 April 2013 (in French)

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