Tonkin Railway
| Tonkin Railway | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Viaduct de la Morge at Saint-Gingolph in 2019. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overview | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Owner | SBB (in Switzerland) SNCF (in France) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Locale | Switzerland, France | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Service | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Services | In Switzerland: Voyageurs RegionAlps (since 2003), SBB local freight; In France: Voyageurs PLM (until 1938), Fret local (until 1988), Touristique (until 1998) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| History | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Opened | 1859 – 1886 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Closed | 1998 (partial closure) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Technical | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Track gauge | Standard-gauge railway (1,435 m) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Electrification | 15 kV - 16.7 Hz in Switzerland, 25 kV - 50 Hz in France (not electrified between Évian and St-Gingolph) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Signalling | Absolute block signalling | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Tonkin Railway, or South Lake Geneva railway, is a partly disused line connecting the Swiss cities of Saint-Maurice and Geneva via the French communes of Évian-les-Bains, Thonon-les-Bains and Annemasse, crossing the France–Switzerland border twice.
As of 2024, the railway line is operational in the Chablais region between Évian-les-Bains and Geneva and in the canton of Valais between St-Maurice and St-Gingolph (Saint-Gingolph–Saint-Maurice railway). However, the 17.8 km (11.1 mi) long section between Saint-Gingolph and Évian-les-Bains, along the southeastern shore of Lake Geneva (Lac Léman), has been out of service since 1998. Several associations are currently campaigning for its reopening.