The Administration des chemins de fer de l'État (, "State Railway Administration"), often referred to in France as the Réseau de l'État (, "State Network"), was an early state-owned French railway company.

History The company was established by state order of the Third Republic on 25 May 1878 to take over ten small failing railway companies operating in the area between the rivers Loire and Garonne: , 777 km, opened 1867; , 495 km, opened 1865; Compagnie du chemin de fer d’Orléans à Châlons, 293 km, opened 1873; Compagnie du chemin de fer d'Orléans à Rouen (Réseau de l'Eure), 338 km, opened 1867; , 185 km, opened September 1875; Compagnie des chemins de fer de Maine-et- Loire et Nantes, 91 km, opened February 1877; Compagnie du chemin de fer de Bressuire à Poitiers; Compagnie du chemin de fer de Saint-Nazaire au Croisic; Compagnie du chemin de fer de Clermont à Tulle; Compagnie du chemin de fer de Poitiers à Saumur.

Additional acquisitions included: Compagnie Bordeaux – La Sauve, 29 km, opened May 1873, acquired by CF des Charentes in June 1874, sold to the PO in 1883 Compagnie de la Seudre, circa 50 km, opened 1874, acquired by État July 1880; Compagnie Barbezieux – Châteauneuf-sur-Charente, opened 1872, acquired by État in 1893; Compagnie Alais – Rhone – Méditerranée, opened 1882, acquired by État in 1883.

On 18 November 1908, the État absorbed the Chemins de fer de l'Ouest and in 1934 took over the Paris-Orléans (PO) company's lines in southern Brittany. At its greatest extent its operating area comprised all the territory west of a line extending from Dieppe by way of Paris to Bordeaux. On 1 January 1938 the État merged with all the other French railway companies to form the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF), becoming that company's Région Ouest. The État then took a seat on the SNCF's Board of Directors, as did all the other companies until 1982 when all traces of the constituents of the SNCF disappeared.

Ligne Paris-Bordeaux One of the PO's flagship lines was Paris-Orléans-Bordeaux. The État wished to create a competing line to the PO's. The PO line served Tours, Poitiers, and Angoulême, while the État decided to serve Chartres, Courtalain, Saumur, Niort, and Saintes, almost parallel to the competing line.

Thanks to purchases and exchanges made in 1878 with the PO, by 1884, the État operated: Chartres - Courtalain Bessé-sur-Braye - Château-sur-Loir Saumur - Montreuil-Bellay Montreuil-Bellay - Saint-Jean-d'Angély Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Saintes Saintes - Cavignac Courtalain-Bessé-sur-Braye was opened in 1885 as well as Château-sur-Loir-Saumur-Cavignac. At La Grave d'Ambarès a junction with the PO was built, and État trains linked Paris and Bordeaux on 11 July 1886.

The last line portion was the hardest to build. On 1 July 1893, an extension via Lormont was opened, Three years later, on 1 August 1896 Bordeaux-État was opened, welcoming trains from Paris.

The État's line was 610 km while the PO's was 582 km. These were the only competing lines in France. This lasted until 1938, date of the creation the SNCF, when the PO line was kept.

The Dautry era Raoul Dautry became managing director of the Etat in 1928. His desires were to reconquer the railway company's clientele, especially due to the popularity of the car.

Dautry began many modernisation projects, including infrastructure, stations and the opening of new lines (mainly Paris-Chartres by Gallardon). The electrification of the Paris-Le Mans line represents the biggest of his constructions, the line was at the time the most modern line in France.

Another one of his influences was the purchase of 600 new passenger cars. 50 of the cars were luxurious cars and were used on the new electrified line.

As early as 1929, the Etat began experimenting with DMUs with a first order of Renault trains. In 1931, an agreement is reached between Michelin and the Etat, authorising trials of the Micheline train. By 1933, the trains were used for expresses between Paris and Deauville.

During the summer of 1937, the French Government ruled in favour of the nationalisation of the French railways. As a sign of disagreement, Dautry resigned, he was later elected into the SNCF's managing council.

Line openings DateSectionLength (km)7 January 1856Poitiers - NiortTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 10 February 1884.787 September 1857Niort - La Rochelle6624 September 1866Cholet - La PoissonnièreTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 20 February 1884.4330 December 1866Nantes - La Roche-sur-YonTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 25 January 1884.7628 December 1868Niort - Cholet12422 October 1867Rochefort - AngoulêmeTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 1 July 1878.6825 March 1869Beillant - Pons1526 January 1870Pons - Jonzac1914 March 1871La Roche-sur-Yon - La Rochelle10327 March 1871La Roche-sur-Yon - Bressuire846 November 1871Jonzac - Montendre2128 October 1872Chartres - Orléans7520 November 1872Barbezieux - ChâteauneufTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 1 January 1894.1810 May 1873Bressuire - Thouars3011 August 1873Thouars - Chinon4710 October 1873Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan - Blaye2416 October 1873Montendre - Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan29 December 1873La Rochelle - Rochefort3015 May 1874Neuville-de-Poitou - Montreuil-Bellay8519 October 1874Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan - Coutras1719 April 1875Joué-lès-Tours - Chinon4329 August 1875Pons - RoyanTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 1 January 1881.4611 September 1875Nantes - Pornic5730 January 1876Saumur - Montreuil-Bellay1825 March 1876Sainte Pazanne - Machecoul131 April 1876Chartres - Auneau207 May 1876Chartres - Brou363 June 1876St Hiliaire - Paimbœuf2724 June 1876Saujon - La Tremblarde231 February 1877Montreuil-Bellay - Angers6325 January 1878Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Taillebourg1830 December 1878Machecoul - Challans193 March 1879Château-du-Loir - Saint-CalaisTaken over by the CF de l'Etat on 10 March 1884.4519 September 1880Challans - La Roche-sur-Yon517 March 1881Through Luçon217 October 1881Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Niort4817 October 1881Saint-Gilles-Croix-de-Vie - Commesquiers1317 October 1881Velluire - Benet1920 November 1881Blois - Pont-de-Braye642 July 1882Chinon - Port-Boulet1410 July 1882Cholet - Clisson3823 October 1882Niort - Montreuil-Bellay10427 November 1882Chinon - L'Île-Bouchard1619 March 1883Neuville-de-Poitou - Parthenay392 April 1883Patay - Courtalain-Saint-Pellerin472 April 1883Brou - Courtalain-Saint-Pellerin173 September 1883Saint-Laurent-de-la-Prée - La Pointe-de-la-fumée85 November 1883Through Marans27 April 1884Airvault - Moncontour1518 August 1884Perray-Jouannet - Chalonnes2623 February 1885Aiffres - Ruffec [Aiffres to Ruffec Line]7723 May 1885Courtalain-Saint-Pellerin - Bessé-sur-Braye4212 July 1885Port-de-Piles - L'Île-Bouchard214 March 1886Through Nantes414 June 1886Cavignac - Cubzac1711 July 1886Cubzac - La Grave-d'Ambarès511 July 1886Through Bordeaux211 July 1886Château-du-Loir - Saumur6711 July 1886Through Saumur519 September 1886Châtellerault - Loudun481 May 1887Arrou - Nogent-le-Rotrou4129 May 1887Libourne - Marcenais195 June 1887Parthenay - Bressuire3117 February 1889Tonnay-Charente - Pointe-du-Chapus3118 May 1890Fontenay-le-comte - Vouvant-Cezais1418 May 1890Vouvant-Cezais - Breuil-Barret151 April 1891La Rochelle - Port de la Pallice72 January 1893Sargé - Montoire221 July 1893La Grave-d'Ambarès - Gare de Bordeaux Benauge1215 October 1893Montoire - Château-Renault2129 July 1894Château-Renault - Tours3531 May 1896Voves - Toury291 August 1896Junction to Gare de Bordeaux État12 January 1898Thorigné - Montmirail2210 December 1899La Loupe - Brou4328 May 1900Vouvant-Cezay - Chantonnay2512 July 1900Montmirail- Courtalain2812 July 1900Thorigné - Connerré-Beillé65 November 1907Barbezieux - Saint-Mariens-Saint-Yzan5111 June 1911Saint-Jean-d'Angély - Saintes251 July 1912Saintes - Saujon2715 May 1930Massy - Chartres71

Locomotives

Notes

References

External links

Advertising bookmarks of the Chemins de fer de l'État