The constitution of the network of Corsica

The birth of the Corsican network

After the events of 1870, when the neighbouring island of Sardinia already had railway lines, Corsica became impatient to be deprived of the progress that this means of transport represented.

The first studies undertaken encountered settlement difficulties due to the mountainous terrain. It was to overcome these difficulties that a Ministerial Decision of May 3, 1877 prescribed the adoption of the metric track with Vignole steel rails weighing 20 kg per running meter, but limiting the gradients to 20 mm per meter on the central line from Ajaccio to Bastia and to 25 mm on the three other planned lines from Ajaccio to Propriano, from Ponte-Leccia to Calvi and from Casamozza to Bonifacio.

The concept of the construction of the first lines of the Corsican network

The studies were continued according to these directives by the engineers of P and Ch. and carried in priority on the route Bastia - Ajaccio. As soon as the drafts of the two extreme sections of this line: Ajaccio - Ucciani and Corte - Bastia were sufficiently advanced, a bill was introduced on March 28, 1878, for their declaration of public utility. Passed definitively by the Chamber and the Senate respectively on June 6 and 8, the law was promulgated on June 17, 1878. The construction of these two sections was to be undertaken immediately and it was prescribed to continue the studies of the intermediate section from Ucciani (Mezzana) to Corte.

These were carried out by the engineers of the Ponts et Chaussées and the following year a new bill was introduced on 27 November, passed on 1 8 and 20 December by the Chamber and the Senate so that the law of 27 December 1879 declared the Mezzana section at Corte to be of public utility.

At the same time, the three other lines whose necessity had been recognised, but whose studies were less advanced, were classified by the law of 17 July 1879, better known as the Freycinet Law, under the numbers :

• 143 Ajaccio - Propriano,
• 144 Ponte-Leccia - Calvi,
• 145 Casamozza - Bonifacio,

The determination of the conditions of establishment and armament of the lines of Corsica were, because of their special character, (they were indeed the first lines of general interest established on narrow gauge), entrusted by the President of the Committee of the technical exploitation of the railways (body created at the Ministry of Public Works by ministerial decree of January 25th, 1879) to a special Commission constituted for this purpose A sub-commission of the equipment composed of Messrs.

• Jules Martin, Chief Engineer of P.et Ch., Deputy to the State Railways Directorate
• Ch. Ledoux, Chief Engineer of Mines
• Albert Sartiaux, Chief Engineer of P. et Ch., Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the Chemin de Fer du Nord, reporter.
• Bandérall, Eng. in charge of the Central Material and Traction Service of the Chemin de Fer du Nord, reporter.

(Mr. Sévène, Chief Engineer Des P. et Ch., Director of the Orléans Company, succeeded Mr. Marié in 1882 as President), wrote well-documented reports on the roadbed, the track, and the tug and rolling stock, which were submitted to the Technical Committee and served as the basis for the establishment and armament of the first lines.

The Bills

In 1882, the progress of the works of the sections from Bastia to Corte and from Ajaccio to Mezzana being able to foresee the possibility of an early entry into service, Mr Varroy, Minister of the T.P. tabled on July 27th a bill authorising the Administration to immediately order the tug and rolling stock which they were to be provided with, without waiting for the outcome of the talks engaged with various Companies with a view to their exploitation. However, his successor, Mr. Hérisson, who was about to conclude a treaty for the operation and further construction of the network, withdrew this bill on November 14, 1882.

Two bills: Ponte-Leccia to Calvi and Casamozza to Bonifacio

During the same period 1881 - 1882, two bills concerning the lines from Ponte-Leccia to Calvi and from Casamozza to Bonifacio were tabled in Parliament on 6 November 1881 and 20 March 1882 respectively.

The project for the line from Ponte-Leccia to Calvi

For the first named, two routes had been studied by the engineers of Ponts et Chaussées . These two routes had a common course over 28 km from Ponte-Leccia to Palasca. Beyond this station, the first of them served Belgodère and Aregno from where a branch line went towards Mie-Rousse, while the main line continued towards Calvi near the RN 197. Although more expensive, it had the advantage of serving a larger number of localities and, consequently, offered the prospect of higher revenues. However, it aroused the hostility of the inhabitants of Ile Rousse who feared that the supremacy of their port would be compromised in favour of Calvi.

The second route also served Belgodère, heading towards Ile-Rousse, then reached Calvi along the coast. The length to be built was 4 km shorter, but the cost was reduced by almost half. On the other hand, the route from Ile-Rousse to the line from Bastia to Ajaccio was reduced from 68,100 to 50,500 km, a gain of 17,600 km.

During the deliberations in the Chamber of Deputies, it was the second route which won the final victory on 30 May 1882 and the Senate voted in favour of it on the following 5 August; the law of 21 August 1882 declared the line from Ponte-Leccia to Calvi to be of public utility

The bill for the line from Csamozza to Bonifacio

The second Bill tabled on 20 March 1882 concerned only a section of 72 km, between Casamozza and the Fium'Orbo of the line classified under No. 145 by the Freycinet Law. Its adoption by the Chamber and the Senate on 19 June and 31 July 1882 respectively was less controversial and this first section of the line from Casamozza to Bonifacio was declared of public utility by the law of 5 August 1882.

source : MTVS 1984-4