Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

Le chemin de fer du Montenvers is a French racket line in Haute-Savoie, inaugurated in 1909. It connects Chamonix-Mont-Blanc (altitude 1,042 m) to Montenvers (1,913 m), offering tourist access to the Mer de Glace. In 2009, it was the most popular attraction in the Rhône-Alpes region with more than 800,000 travellers.

At the end of the 19th century, Chamonix, already popular for its mountain excursions, welcomed 12,000 visitors in 1885. The project of a railway towards Montenvers, inspired by the Rigi Bahnen in Switzerland, was proposed in 1877 by Charles Durier. Despite the opposition of the Chamoniards, fearing for their income related to mules and bearers, the concession was signed in 1897 for 99 years. Work began in 1906 after the arrival of the PLM in Chamonix.

The construction, completed in 1909, involved 200 to 250 Piedmontese and Savoyard workers. The line, 5.1 km long with slopes up to 22%, includes two major viaducts (from the Bois and Montenvers) and a tunnel. The operation started with steam traction, with immediate success: 47,480 passengers in the first season. In 1927, an accident resulted in 22 deaths, but the number of passengers reached 190,981 in 1938.

Electrification in 1954, with an innovative single-phase AC system (11 kV, 50 Hz), reduces the journey to 20 minutes. The traffic exploded, exceeding 800,000 passengers in 1973. Continuous improvements, such as avalanche galleries and a cable car towards the Sea of Glace (1961), modernise the infrastructure. In 2024, management came under departmental control.

The rolling stock evolved: eight steam locomotives (SLM Winterthur), replaced by electric motors (1954) and diesel locomotives (1967). Today, the line, operated by the Compagnie du Mont-Blanc, remains a symbol of Alpine tourism, combining industrial heritage and grandiose landscapes.

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