The Panoramique des Dômes is a -long rack railway that allows access to the top of the Puy de Dôme, in France, since mid-2012.
The railway is owned by the Conseil général du Puy-de-Dôme.
The train has a capacity of persons an hour.
History
There was a railway with a non-rack central rail on the Puy de Dôme (using the Hanscotte system) from 1907 to 1925. Construction of the railway started in 1906. It connected Lamartine in Clermont-Ferrand (elevation ) to an artificial platform near the mountain top at . The railway was 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.Rendez-vous au sommet dans deux ans - La Montagne - Julien Dodon - 10 MARS 2010 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.Press release, 15 April 2013 (in French)
Rolling Stock
The Swiss firm Stadler received an order for 4 articulated motor cars in November 2009 of the type GTW 2/6.
Weight : . Train length : Capacity: 200 (112 seating and 88 standing)
In April 2023, it was announced that Stadler, along with local company ACC M, are to undertake the mid-life refurbishment of the four motor cars. One trainset will be refurbished at a time, with the first to be taken out of services after the summer of 2023 and completed before the summer of 2024.
See also List of highest railways in Europe
References
External links Conseil Général du Puy de Dôme, Panoramique des Dômes Journey to the top with the Panoramic of the Domes