Morvan6

The line from Auxerre to Clamecy, via the junction at Cravant-Bazarnes, was opened in July 1870, fifteen years after the opening of the line from Laroche-Migennes to Auxerre. 53 kilometres long, the line follows the valley of the Yonne, crossing the river nine times. It was built by the P.L.M. company as part of the plan to link the PLM main line at Laroche-Migennes with Nevers, Prefecture of the Nievre.

Several different routes were proposed south of Clamecy to reach Nevers, and Emperer Napoleon III decided in 1862, after meeting local dignatories that a compromise was in order, and two lines were built from Clamecy, one direct to Nevers via Premery, and the other via Corbigny and Cercy-la-Tour.

In fact, Clamecy became a major strategic rail junction in the middle of a remote rural area. By the end of the 19th century, five different railway lines departed from Clamecy; in addition to the line north to Auxerre, there was the line south to Corbigny, and Cercy-la-Tour, opened in June 1878, the direct line to Nevers via Premery, opened in July 1977, a line from Clamecy north west towards Toucy, opened 1884, which allowed access to Gien and Montargis on the Bourbonnais main line, and, finally, the Clamecy - Cosne-s-Loire line, opened 1893.

What remains today ?

Well, Auxerre - Clamecy, Clamecy - Corbigny - Cercy-la-Tour, Clamecy - Entrains, and the unused track south to Arzembouy silo, and on to Nevers ( in use for freight).

May 31, 2002. TER 57009 from Auxerre to Clamecy passes the village of Surgy, at 09:55, a few minutes before arrival at the terminus of its journey.

Surgy was the site of the junction where the line to Toucy left the valley of the Yonne. But this line was closed and lifted in 1943, and Surgy station is now privately owned..

May 3, 2002. Clamecy station, a standard PLM "large" version. Since my last visit in 1998, the buffet has been demolished. Until 1938, and the creation of SNCF, five destinations were served by rail from here. The newly formed SNCF transferred responsibility for the lines around Clamecy, to the Societe Generale des Chemins de Fer Economiques which later became CFTA which operated trains along the line to Corbigny and Epiry, as well as to Entrains until August 2006.

The contract with SNCF was not renewed and a low cost subsidiary of SNCF, Fertis, took over responsibility for all the Moravn network.

June 6, 1998. A Saturday afternoon at Clamecy. On the right, in yellow and white livery is a modernised X4630. On the left, an older X4600. The two units are waiting to form the 16:37 to Auxerre and the 18:36 to Laroche-Migennes. We are 229 km ( 143 miles) from Paris. On the right of the picture is the corner of the station buffet. Since the date of this photo, that building has ( sadly) been demolished.

Clamecy, May 31, 2002. The two BB diesel locos belong to CFTA and are used on the freight workings to Entrains and Corbigny, (bulk grain and logs).

The origins of CFTA date back to 1880, when the railway construction boom provided opportunities for Societe Generale des Chemins de Fer Economiques (SE). This company developed and operated networks of secondary railways across France. By 1914, SE operated more than 2,500 km of lines, and by 1936 the total had reached 3,600 km.

But the move of traffic to the roads, for economic reasons had started, and SE created subsidiaries dedicated to road transport. In 1963, the company became Societe Generale de Chemins de fer et Transport Automobiles (CFTA). The company managed the railways of Corsica for ten years between 1972-82.

At the end of the 1980's CFTA operated 860 km of lines for the SNCF.

In 1995, CFTA became part of the group now known as Vivendi International.

All the rail activities of CGEA Vivendi are grouped within the division known as Connex.

Within France, CFTA currently operates the following lines for the benefit of SNCF, or local and regional councils:

The Chemins de fer de Provence (Nice - Digne)

The Chemin de fer touristique de la Mure (near Grenoble)

The Chemin de fer touristique de la Rhune (Pyrenees)

Two lines in Britanny from Paimpol

Provins-Longueville in the Seine et Marne

Freight traffic in Bourgogne, Franche Comte, Ile de France and Britanny

CFTA owns about 150 locomotives and autorails and employs 700 staff.

Since August 2006, CFTA no longer operates or maintains any lines in the Morvan.