Rail transport in Monaco

The Principality of Monaco has currently a single railway station, Monaco - Monte Carlo, part of the Marseille–Ventimiglia railway line.[1][2] The station was originally opened in 1867, but extensively rebuilt in 1999.[3] The length of railway within the Principality is 1.7 km (1.1 mi),[1] giving Monaco the third-smallest railway system in the world.

Railway map of Monaco. The present-day station is indicated by the light-green dot.
View of Monaco-Monte Carlo station
Train waiting in Monaco-Monte Carlo
Monte Carlo station of La Turbie-Monte Carlo railway (1905)

History

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Overview

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Originally, two stations served the principality on the Marseille-Nice-Ventimiglia line: Monaco and Monte Carlo. A new tunnel was built in the 1950s through the hills behind Monte Carlo, bypassing the Monte Carlo station and causing its closure.[4][5][6] Subsequently, the Monaco station was renamed Monaco-Monte Carlo station.

In the 1990s, the railway line was re-routed completely underground. A new underground station was built to replace the old surface station. The new Monaco - Monte Carlo station was opened on 7 December 1999.

Disused lines

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A rack railway from La Turbie to Monte Carlo through Beausoleil operated from 1894 to 1932, with a station (Monte Carlo) serving the Principality.[7][8]

Monaco also had a tramway system between 1898 and 1931, with the first line linking Place d’Armes to Saint Roman.[5]

System

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Monaco does not operate its own train service; all rail services in the Principality are operated by the French operator, SNCF.[9] SNCF trains leave the Monaco - Monte Carlo station every 15 minutes throughout the day,[10] although services cease during early, and late hours.[11]

The railway station is located on the border of Moneghetti, Monaco and Beausoleil, France, near the Monégasque administrative ward of Saint Michel.[3]

Railway stations

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The table below shows the Monegasque stations, the existing one and the disused ones:

Station Line Opened Closed Location
Monaco-Monte-Carlo Marseille-Nice-Ventimiglia 1999 in service 43°44′19″N 7°25′9″E / 43.73861°N 7.41917°E / 43.73861; 7.41917
Monte Carlo (rack railway) La Turbie-Monte Carlo 1894 1932 43°44′29.2″N 7°25′30.2″E / 43.741444°N 7.425056°E / 43.741444; 7.425056
Monte Carlo (SNCF) Marseille-Nice-Ventimiglia 1868 1958 43°44′19.17″N 7°25′44.74″E / 43.7386583°N 7.4290944°E / 43.7386583; 7.4290944
Monaco Marseille-Nice-Ventimiglia 1868 1999 43°43′57″N 7°25′02″E / 43.73250°N 7.41722°E / 43.73250; 7.41722

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "SNCF en Monaco". Gare de Monaco. Archived from the original on 2015-07-29. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  2. ^ "Train Travel - Angloinfo Monaco (France)". Angloinfo. Archived from the original on 2016-07-01. Retrieved 2016-06-08.
  3. ^ a b "SNCF en Principauté". Gare de Monaco. Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  4. ^ (in French) History of Monaco station from the official site Archived 2016-03-04 at the Wayback Machine
  5. ^ a b Railways in Monaco (sinfin.net)
  6. ^ (in French) See also: fr:Schéma de la ligne de Marseille-Saint-Charles à Vintimille (frontière)
  7. ^ (in French) Infos and pictures on La Turbie municipal website
  8. ^ (in French) See also: fr:Chemin de fer à crémaillère de La Turbie à Monte-Carlo
  9. ^ "Monaco Railway Photographs". Johndarm.clara.net. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  10. ^ "Monaco Travel Tips from". Rail Europe. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
  11. ^ "Travel by Train in Europe, Best Ticket Prices on TGV-Europe". Tgv-europe.com. Retrieved 2012-07-04.
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