Saint-Étienne has many things to be proud of but for the purposes of this blog, its main claim to fame is being home to the first railway line in France – and also continental Europe.
The city is understandably proud of this heritage and has preserved a significant stretch of the track as a green belt walk in the north of the city. It stretches from near the Stade Geoffroy Guichard (“allez les verts!”) to Solaire, and is a great afternoon stroll.
I used to cross it every day on my way into the office, so confinement seemed an ideal opportunity to explore as both extremities are (more-or-less) within the 1km authorised exercise zone from the flat I’m in.
Opened in 1827, just two years after Stephenson opened the first public railway line in the world in England, the Saint-Étienne-Andrézieux railway line’s primary purpose was to transport coal from the mines to the River Loire. The merchandise off-loaded at the port, the horse-drawn chariots would then transport gravel, sand and lime on the return journey.
In August that year, the line’s first passenger – la comtesse Bertrand – travelled to Andrézieux after a stay in Saint-Étienne and became the first person in Europe to complete a railway journey solely for leisure purposes. In March 1832, the line opened to passengers, who were transported to Andrézieux at giddying speeds of 12kph, until 1844, when the first steam trains entered service.
Coincidentally, continental Europe’s second railway line opened in 1832, also from Saint-Étienne, to Lyon. Also operating at around 12kph, a single journey to Lyon took approximately five hours, which isn’t that much slower than rush-hour traffic on the motorway today if you’re having particularly bad luck.
Along the way there are places to sit and eat – in normal conditions – on benches made to fit on the tracks. I didn’t try moving them, but they are on wheels so you can presumably adjust the position of your picnic table – within reason. There are also nesting boxes and insect hotels; it’s a really nice walk – apart from, perhaps, the part that goes past the dump.
I’m leaving Saint-Étienne when I can as my contract has finished here, but it’s a lovely place with lots to see. I’m annoyed that strikes and plague have hindered my ability to explore further afield from here – there are trains to Switzerland, Italy, and Spain – so I shall be back for another visit when I can.
For people who get seriously excited by this kind of thing, there’s a more detailed history of the line at http://www.premierchemindefer.fr/
