Good afternoon everyone. Today I want to propose you what I consider the most beautiful and fascinating route of France: the Côte Bleue Line, from Marseille to Miramas. We're in Southern France, in the stunning Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Region. Specifically, in the Bouches-du-Rhône Department. The French Riviera runs along the Mediterranean Sea, alternating high, rocky cliffs with lower lagoon areas west of Marseille. The route starts from the well-known Marseille Saint-Charles Terminal, going through the city's port area. Reaching L'Estaque. Here, the line begins to climb the cliff, passing through breathtaking viaducts and tunnels, overlooking the sea. The arrival in Martigues marks the entrance into the industrial area. There, the line crosses the famous Caronte Viaduct, an iconic French railway spot. Once we reach Port-de-Bouc, the line moves away from the coast, descending towards the lagoon/countryside area. Crossing Istres and reaching Miramas. Our final destination. The city, the sea and the Provence countryside! This is the Côte Bleue Line: Marseille to Miramas via Martigues! GENERAL FEATURES The route consists of two distinct lines: - L'Estaque – Marseille-Saint-Charles Line, of 8.3km (5.1mi) - Miramas-L'Estaque Line, of 61km (38mi) Total: 71.3km (44mi). The line is served by: - double track, standard gauge (1435 mm/4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), electrified 1.5kV DC OHLE (Miramas-Lavalduc Junction). - double track, standard gauge, unelectrified (Lavalduc Junction-L'Estaque). - double track, standard gauge, electrified 1.5kV DC OHLE (L'Estaque – Marseille-Maritime-Arenc). - single track, standard gauge, electrfied 1.5kV DC OHLE (Marseille-Maritime-Arenc – St-Charles Terminal). Excluding common areas of Miramas, L'Estaque and St-Charles. The path is equipped with: - BAL (Block Automatique Lumineux), literally "Automatic Luminous Block", as signaling system (Miramas-Martigues and L'Estaque-Marseille St-Charles). - BAPR (Block Automatique à Permissivité Restreinte), literally "Automatic Block with Restricted Permissiveness", as signaling system (Martigues-L'Estaque). - KVB (Contrôle de vitesse par balises), literally "Speed control by beacons", as regards safety system adopted. - GSM-R and RST ready, as regard comm. The maximum gradient on this route reaches: - 11% on Miramas-L'Estaque Line - 10% on L'Estaque – Marseille-Saint-Charles Line The maximum permitted speed on this route reaches: - 40-120km/h (25-75mph) on Miramas-L'Estaque Line - 40-70km/h (25-44mph) on L'Estaque Marseille-Saint-Charles Line Even if on the main stretch it never exceeds 100-105km/h (62-65mph). The line is managed by: - SNCF Réseau S.A., public company of the French railway network. The passenger service is operated by: - SNCF Voyageurs S.A., through the regional subsidiary TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (Also known as TER PACA/TER ZOU!). - ATTCV (Association du Train Touristique du Centre Var), regarding railtours. The freight service is operated by: - FRET SNCF S.A., public company for French domestic freight transport. - RégioRail France S.A.S., private company of the Beacon Rail Group. ROUTE AND STATIONS The route has a total of 15 active stations/stops, as well as an additional 4 abandoned/demolished ones. An additional stop is planned. Including the two terminals of Miramas and Marseille-St-Charles. The calls are, as follows: - Miramas, North-West terminus of the route. Equipped with sidings and dedicated depot (FRET-TER), as well as a huge freight complex (Provence-Méditerranée). Km809* - Istres, Km821* - Rassuen, Km823* Lavalduc Junction, 1.5kv DC limit-->diesel line. - Fos-sur-Mer, Km832* - Port-de-Bouc, equipped with service sidings. Km834* - Croix-Sainte, Km837* Caronte Viaduct (about 1km long). - Martigues, Equipped with a large chemical terminal and dedicated yard. Km839* Access to the Lavéra Harbour freight branches. Beginning of Coastal area. - La Couronne-Carro, Km846* - Sausset-les-Pins, Km851* - Carry-le-Rouet, Km855* - La Redonne-Ensuès, scenic stations on the route. Km859* - Niolon, scenic stations on the route. Km864* End of coastal area. Diesel line-->1.5kV DC electrification. - L'Estaque, node station between the PLM, Miramas-L'Estaque and L'Estaque-Marseille-St-Charles lines. Km870* Junction towards Arenc (Marseille port area). Marseille-Maritime-Arenc Yard, with link to Med. Europe Combined Terminal. - Arenc-Euroméditerranée, Km859** Link St-Charles-Maritime-Arenc. - Marseille-Saint-Charles, South-East terminus of the route. Equipped with TGV/TET and TER/Infra sidings, in addition to the direct connection to PLM/LGV. Km862** ROUTE PLAN General view of the route. In blue, the main track. In red, the branches/freight areas. GOOGLE MAPS credit. Miramas-L'Estaque Line scheme. L'Estaque-Marseille-St-Charles Line scheme. PASSENGER SERVICE REGIONAL - TER ZOU! 7B Line: Marseille-Miramas via Côte Bleue a) Marseille-Miramas, 18 services/day (80min) (on this route). 1Tph (2Tph 16, 18 and 20 PM) b) Miramas-Marseille, 15 services/day (78min) (on this route). 1Tph Total of 30 services/day (15x with matching) + 3x services without matching. - TER ZOU! 7A Line: Marseille-Miramas via Rognac a) Marseille-Miramas, 43 services/day (AI ONLY on Marseille, L'Estaque and Miramas). 2/3Tph b) Miramas-Marseille, 43 services/day (same as above). 2/3Tph Total of 86 services/day, all with matching. Plus all TER services from/to Montpellier, Avignon and Lyon. RAILTOURS - Heritage Railtours: Marseille-Martigues via Côte Bleue a) 2x services/day Marseille-Martigues (1x morning + 1x afternoon) (l'Estaque-Martigues and AI ONLY on Marseille) b) 2x services/day Martigues-Marseille (1x morning + 1x afternoon) (same as above) Railtours services are carried out by the ATTCV association occasionally (also on request). FREIGHT SERVICE The freight service on this route isn't available along its entire length. The scenic section is usually excluded from FRET services. It's available on Lavéra-Miramas stretch: - Services to/from the 2 terminals of Lavéra and Martigues. Goods affected by these services: Chemical gas/liquids and fuels. - Services to/from Port-Saint-Louis-du-Rhône (via Lavalduc Junction). Goods affected by these services: Fuels, intermodal, coal, metal scrap and steel products (coils/plates etc...). - Shunting services on the freight branches of Lavéra<-->Martigues Yard. And on L'Estaque-Arenc stretch: - Shunting activities inside Marseille Harbour (Maritime-Arenc Yard and Med. Europe Terminal). Goods affected by these services: Intermodal and cereals. There are also some rare urban waste services, which are exceptionally diverted on this line (L'Estaque-->Miramas). Plus all shunting services inside Miramas freight Complex. ROLLING STOCK PASSENGER – REGIONAL - B 81500 AGC (BGC) BMU, for TER PACA/ZOU! services. Bi-mode version of the famous family of multiple units by Bombardier. This is the single current (1.5kV DC) and diesel version, composed of 4 cars and with a maximum speed of 160km/h (100mph). Widely used in all the French TER Réseaux, with 27 units operated by TER ZOU! Here in "TER ZOU!" and "TER PACA" liveries. - X 72500 X-TER "Aspirateur" DMU, for TER PACA/ZOU! services. This is an Alstom-built DMU, produced from '97 to '02. Powered by 4 powerful MAN diesel engines, it's composed of 2 cars (there's also a 3-car version in other Réseaux). Its maximum speed reaches 160km/h (100mph). Although it's being prematurely withdrawn from active service, it continues to operate with TER ZOU! (18 units) and others. Here in "TER ZOU!" livery. Please, put your LIKE here firs, Thank You! Continue Below...
- B 84500M Régiolis BMU, for TER PACA/ZOU! Services. Bi-Mode version of the famous multiple unit family by Alstom. This is the bi-current (1.5kV DC and 25kV AC) and diesel version, composed of 4 cars and with a maximum speed of 160km/h (100mph). Widely used in all the French TER Réseaux, with 15 units operated by TER ZOU! Here in "TER PACA" and "TER ZOU!" liveries. PASSENGER – RAILTOURS - X 4500 EAD "Caravelle" Diesel-mechanical railcar, for ATTCV services. Old, legendary French railcar. In active service from 1963 to early 2000s. It consists of two cars (power car + trailer). Powered by a powerful Saurer diesel engine, it reaches a maximum speed of 120km/h (75mph). Limited to 100km/h (62mph) due to safety and preservation reasons. Its nickname comes from its typical "whistle", produced by its turbochargers, which makes it resemble a popular aircraft of the time. Unit X-4567 is preserved by ATTCV, which use it in their periodic railtours. Here present in its iconic "Rouge-Crème" livery. Other passenger/heritage stock used: - X 76500 AGC (XGC) DMU, for TER PACA/ZOU! services. Here present in "TER ZOU! - Train Merveilles" livery. Occasionally on the Côte Bleue. - X 2800 Diesel-hydraulic railcar, for ATTCV services. Here present in "Bleu-Gris-Blanc" livery. TGV/TER Layers: - TGV Duplex 200 Tri-current high-speed train, for TGV InOui services. Here in "InOui" livery. Marseille-Saint-Charles area. - Z 23500 TER 2N PG double-decker EMU, for TER PACA/ZOU! services. Here in "TER PACA" and "TER ZOU!" liveries. AI ONLY at Marseille, L'Estaque and Miramas. - BB 22200R/RC "Nez Cassés" Bi-voltage electric locomotive + Corail VTU/VU (regional version), for TER PACA/ZOU! services. Here in "TER PACA" livery. Same as above. FREIGHT - BB 75000 Prima Diesel-electric locomotive / Vossloh DE-18 Diesel-electric, heavy shunting locomotive. For FRET SNCF and RégioRail France services. First one, the popular series of French diesel locomotives (200 specimens), part of the Prima family by Alstom. Widely used on all unelectrified freight routes, both for mainline and delivery/shunting activities. The second, one of the latest additions to the French diesel fleet. Widely used by many private operators (such as RégioRail) and Infra Réseau. Here present in their respective "FRET", "Grise" (75000) and "RégioRail France" (DE-18) liveries. Other freight stock used: - BB 26000 "Sybic" Bi-voltage electric locomotive, for FRET SNCF services. Here in "FRET" and "Fantôme" liveries. On Miramas-Lavalduc Junction stretch. - BB 22200 "Nez Cassés" Bi-voltage electric locomotive, for FRET SNCF services. Here in "Béton" and "Fantôme" liveries. Same as above. - BB 60000 Diesel-electric heavy shunting locomotive, for FRET SNCF services. Here in "FRET" livery. On Miramas freight Complex. STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES STRONG POINTS - The route is long and non-linear. - Enough daily passenger services to support gaming experience. - Good number of stops. - Good mix between TER, railtour and freight services. - Presence of railtours. - Presence of freight traffic, even if not excessive. - Presence of shunting activities. - Great route articulation, with mixed freight/passenger, scenic and urban/port sections. - Excellent scenery variety: City, harbour, coast/cliff, lagoon and countryside. - Stunning and immersive landscape, full of details. - Presence of the Arenc-Euroméditerranée stop, with its graffiti. - Possibility of reusing the initial urban section of the LGV Marseille-Avignon on this route. - Possibility of creating the small PLM Line link towards L'Estaque, reusing the common section already present in Marseille-Avignon (above the neutral section tunnel). Creating some mini-services with the existing stock (Only further 2km). - Possibility of switching between diesel and electric traction (at L'Estaque). - All rolling stock could be used on other future French routes (and on LGV Méditerranée). - Many layers are already available with rolling stock included. WEAK POINTS - The number of services isn't large (33 services/day). But with possibility of further additions. - Some old stops are abandoned/demolished. - The line has two slow sections (25mph), but right in the most scenic areas! PS. With works carried out this year, speeds have increased significantly! - Lack of electrification in the central section of the line. - Lack of freight service in the central section of the line. STATIONS Marseille-Saint-Charles Main hub, South-East terminus of the route. The area used by this line is that of the K,L,M and N external platforms. Right photo: the red arrow indicates the link used. While in blue, the common PLM/LGV section already present ingame. Arenc-Euroméditerranée (Left) and L'Estaque (Right) Stations. The first is famous for being completely covered in graffiti. The second represents an important node between different lines. In addition to marking the traction change (electric<-->diesel). Continue Below...
Niolon (Left) and Sausset-les-Pins (Right) Stations. Beautiful examples of local railway architecture. Adopting the typical West Provence style. Both are located in a very scenic position. Martigues (Left) and Port-de-Bouc (Right) Stations. Two important stops in the central area of the route. Both close to the Caronte Viaduct. Martigues also represents an important collection point for goods to/from Lavéra industrial area. Miramas Main station, North-West terminus of the route. It represents an important hub for services to Lyon, Avignon (ordinary) and Montpellier. Featuring a distinctive style (with its famous clock tower). Right photo: the huge freight complex adjacent to the station. ROUTE VIDEOS TER ZOU! Miramas-Marseille service (2023), X 72500 X-TER. TER ZOU! Miramas-Marseille service (2021), B 81500 BGC/X 72500 X-TER. A bit of trainspotting at Niolon station. Note the old RRR+BB67400 convoys. Video of the Martigues-Marseille route on TSC. In service with the AGC PACA. TSC ROUTE LINK: https://www.rwcentral.com/files/file/649-marseille-martigues-by-zawal/ IMAGES A) Marseille general view. B) View from L'Estaque hill. In the background: Marseille. In the foreground: the Riaux Viaduct, marking the beginning of the Côte Bleue Line. Note the path of the PLM Line which branches off our route (continuing via Rognac). C) La Vesse Viaduct. D) Calanque du Jonquier Viaduct, one of the wildest and most scenic spots of the route. E) Mèjean Viaduct. And the village underneath. F) General view of La Redonne. With the Mauvallon Viaduct. A) Eaux-Salées Viaduct, one of the most famous structures of the line. B) Caronte Viaduct, with its almost 1km in length, represents the symbol of the line and one of the most famous railspots in France. South-->North view. C) Caronte Viaduct, North-->South view, with the 114m mobile span. D) General view of Martigues, with the old town built on the Caronte Canal (behind the namesake viaduct). E) Lavalduc Pond, characterized by its vivid colors (which vary from red to orange and yellow, throughout the year), due to the quantity of water and salt dissolved within it. F) View of the Berre Lagoon from Upper Miramas. The large body of water, west of Marseille, communicates with the Mediterranean through the Caronte Canal. I also remember the presence of the Ponteau Power Plant (with its 4 chimneys), the Martigues Viaduct (a huge road bridge parallel to the Caronte Viaduct), the Istres Air Base and the Miramas Circuit (BMW experience center). All close by and visible from the railway. CONCLUSIONS The stunning French Riviera awaits you! A long and challenging journey through Marseille and the wild and rugged cliffs, west of the city. Pass over the famous Caronte Viaduct, hoping it's not open! Finally immerse yourself in the countryside area, with many Mediterranean details still to be found. Reaching Miramas. Operate the TER services in the area, driving the powerful multiple units to their destination. Take care of the daily freight services to/from Lavéra and Lavalduc. Not forgetting the numerous switching activities in the Marseille-Arenc, Martigues and Miramas areas. Finally, take part in the periodic railtours that run through the scenic part of the route. Do what you want! The choice is yours! Here you'll find what you're looking for! This is the Côte Bleue Line: Marseille to Miramas via Martigues! Caravatt. PS. This route would be perfect, introducing layers for LGV Méditerranée. Hoping for a possible remake (like for LIRR 2.0), adding the Avignon branch (Avignon TGV - Avignon-Centre) and one of the BMUs proposed by me.
Awesome suggestion, with lots of information! You have made a great contribution. I would love to see this in the future and it would be a first day purchase for me. Unfortunately, DTG seems to have forgotten about France. They will have their reasons, but it has always struck me as odd because of the following: - The TGV route I understand was a best seller, very popular and for a long time the most played route. I think I have heard this from members of the DTG itself. If this is not the case, someone please correct me. - I also understand that before deciding to build a route in a new country they do an exhaustive study to assess whether the large investment required (new assets, new signalling systems, new safety systems, etc) is going to have an economic return not only on that first route, but on other possible routes in the future. - Focus, which now owns DTG, is a French company, so I imagine they would be 100% supportive of seeing new routes established in their country. It would be a source of pride for them. In fact, I remember after the acquisition they gave away the TGV route for a while to celebrate. So it seems that none of this has been positive enough to create a new route, and I don't think any explanation has ever been given as to why. With other internal situations they have sometimes been more open, but not with this one. My guess is that they may have licence accessibility issues... maybe one day they will clear up the doubts.
Apparently DTG have run into licensing/permissions issues with SNCF, leading to decreased likelihood of any further French routes. Sadly.
