from:
Nîmes France to:
Clermont-Ferrand France

Hello everyone, it is with great pleasure that today I am taking you on a journey on the mythical Cevennes line. From the dry Mediterranean climate to the greenery of Auvergne, this line, which represents the most direct route between Marseille and Paris, and which is undoubtedly among the most beautiful in the country and the world, will make you discover sumptuous mountain landscapes. Built gradually from 1840 to 1870 largely thanks to the famous Captain of Industry Paulin Talabot, the end of the construction and operation of the line was quickly taken over by the famous PLM Compagny until the creation of the SNCF. The line, which is located almost at sea level in Nîmes, gradually gains in height until it reaches an altitude of 1023 meters at La Bastide Saint Laurent station. This is followed by a very long, very gradual descent to Clermont-Ferrand. The Langogne - Langeac section winds through the Gorges de l'Allier and represents, without a doubt, one of the most impressive section of line in the French network, offering us an uninterrupted succession of works of art. Travelled since 1955 by the famous Express named "Cévenol" linking Clermont to Marseille at first, then Paris to Marseille from 1979, This route went through a long and gradual decline, suffering from decades of underinvestment. The Cévenol route was limited to Clermont - Marseille in 2007, then Clermont - Nîmes in 2013. This train was seriously threatened with disappearance despite the struggle of the inhabitants and elected representatives of the regions concerned, before the Occitanie region, helped in part by the state, decided to invest the budget necessary for the renovation of a large part of the infrastructure and rolling stock. Today, we will travel the 300 kilometres between Nîmes and Clermont-Ferrand aboard a Coradia-Liner B84500 trainset, the long-distance version of the Régiolis that now operates all Cévenol trains.