France (Centre - Val de Loire) - Lines with Obscure or Sparse passenger services
Obscure Services
Les Aubrais/Orléans Area
[ERT 296, 310 & 315, fiches 1.2 Orléans - Vierzon & 2.1 Tours - Orléans] (ERA-E 27B4; ERA-R 70B2; 48C4) FR24/301
The ‘classic’ main lines from Paris to Tours and Vierzon (- Bourges/Limoges) split at Les Aubrais, north of Orléans, bypassing the city centre to the north-west and east respectively. The original main line continues southwards from Les Aubrais to Orléans, which is a terminal station. There are direct curves from Orléans west to the Tours line and east to the Vierzon line. The majority of regional services use these curves whereas there is a much thinner service over the main lines from Les Aubrais avoiding Orléans station:
- towards La Chapelle-St.Mesmin used by Intercités services between Paris Austerlitz and the Tours line
- towards St.Cyr-en-Val-La-Source used by Intercités services between Paris Austerlitz and Vierzon or beyond.
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St.Pierre-des-Corps (Poste 4) – Bifurcation de Tours [ – Monts (Indre-et-Loire)]
[ERT 300, fiche 2.5 Tours - Poitiers] (ERA-E 27C3, not shown; ERA-R 70A1 not shown; S+W 60D3) FR24/302
This east to south curve from St. Pierre-de-Corps to the Poitiers main line is used by TGVs and Intercités running between St-Pierre-des-Corps and Bordeaux. Local trains normally run direct between Monts and Tours, although any exceptions which run via St-Pierre-des-Corps (and hence use this curve) would be shown on fiche 2.5.
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St.Pierre-des-Corps (poste 4) – Bifurcation Grammont [ – Saumur or Chateau-du-Loir]
[ERT 271, 289, 335 & 391, fiches 2.6 Orléans - Nantes and 2.8 Tours - Le Mans] (ERA-E 27C3; ERA-R 70A1; S+W 60D3) FR24/303
This connection between the Paris and Angers lines, bypassing Tours, is used by trains running directly between St.Pierre-des-Corps and Saumur or Château-du-Loir. Other trains for these lines run direct from or to Tours.
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SO | TER16572 | Tours - 09:18 St Pierre-des-Corps - Caen | |
D | OTG4071 | Paris Austerlitz - 09:25 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | |
D | TGV5350/51 | Lyon Perrache - 09:47 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | |
D | TGV5487 | Strasbourg - 11:36 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | |
IC4502 | Lyon Perrache - 14:28 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | ||
IC4504 | Lyon Perrache - 17:21 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | ||
IC4506 | Lyon Perrache - 20:29 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | ||
OTG4085 | Paris Austerlitz - 20:57 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | ||
TGV5358 | Montpellier Sud de France - 21:36 St Pierre-des-Corps - Nantes | ||
TGV5300 | Nantes - 05:29 Angers St Laud - Montpellier Sud de France | ||
IC4402 | Nantes - 07:32 Saumur - Lyon Perrache | ||
D | OTG4080 | Nantes - 07:49 Saumur - Paris Austerlitz | |
SSuO | TER16552 | Caen - 11:12 Château-du-Loir - Tours | |
IC4404 | Nantes - 12:47 Saumur - Lyon Perrache | ||
FX | TGV5306 | Nantes - 13:49 Saumur - Lyon Perrache | |
D | SSuMO | IC4406 | Nantes - 15:49 Saumur - Lyon Perrache |
OTG4076 | Nantes - 18:51 Saumur - Paris Austerlitz |
D1: Not when calling at Le Mans instead of St Pierre-des-Corps
Note that most TGV services to and from Nantes run via Le Mans and do not use this route.
Bourges avoiding line: Marmagne – St.Florent-sur-Cher
[ERT 315, fiche 4.1, Montluçon - Bourges] (ERA-E 27C5; ERA-R 74C5; S+W 75B1) FR24/304
This west to south curve is used by trains between Vierzon and Montluçon not scheduled to call at Bourges. In the first half of 2023 trains ran as follows:-
From Vierzon: 08:56 SO, 10:23 SuX D, 19:23 FSSuX, 22:50 FO, 22:53 SuO
From Montluçon Ville: 05:20 SSuX, 05:30 SO, 06:00 SO, 10:40 D SuX
The line between St. Amand Montrond and Montluçon Ville is closed until the end of August 2024 with bus replacement. No trains over the obscure route until September 2024.
Bellébat turning circle (Musée des Transports de Pithiviers)
(ERA-E 27B5, not shown; ERA-R 70C2 not shown; S+W 49A2-49A3) FR24/305
See their website. Normally, trains arrive and depart by the long arc of the balloon loop at Bellébat. Exceptionally, the first train of the day arrives, and the last train of the day leaves, by the short arc here instead.