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Origin and history

The Garabit viaduct is an iconic railway structure built between 1880 and 1884 in the Cantal, on the line from Béziers to Neussargues. Originally conceived by the engineer Léon Boyer, Gustave Eiffel and his company were entrusted with his creation. With a 165 m range main arch and a height of 122 m above the Truyère, it was at its highest viaduct completion in the world, symbolizing a major advance in metal engineering.

The project was born in 1878 when Léon Boyer proposed a bold route to avoid a costly detour through the valleys. Inspired by Viaduct Maria Pia in Portugal, Boyer opts for a giant metal arc, rejecting traditional solutions such as suspended bridges. Gustave Eiffel, after breaking up with Théophile Seyrig, finished the plans in 1880. The site, marked by technical innovations, was completed in 1884, and the viaduct was commissioned in 1888.

Ranked a Historic Monument in 2017 after a first registration in 1965, the Garabit viaduct remains a symbol of French industrial engineering. He inspired cultural works, such as films (Le Pont de Cassandra) or a postage stamp in 1952. Despite recent maintenance work, it continues to increase the railway line, although its speed has been limited to 10 km/h since 2009 for safety reasons.

The viaduct consists of a 565 m metal deck resting on seven puddled iron batteries, with a 165 m range central arc. The masonry access stacades frame the structure, while 678 768 rivets assemble the 3,169 tons of wrought iron. Originally overlooking the 122 m Truyère, it now dominates Lake Grandval (95 m) since the dam was built in 1959.

The inauguration, on 28 May 1888, was sober despite the extent of the work: a train carrying inspectors crossed the viaduct at 50 km/h, in front of the many inhabitants. The viaduct, designed for a single lane, was electrified in 1932 and became a symbol of the Central Massif, even on the 200-franc Gustave Eiffel ticket in 1996.

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