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Origin and history

The bridge of the first railway, located at Saint-Priest-en-Jarez, was built as part of the Saint-Étienne to Andrézieux line, inaugurated in 1827. It was the first commercial railway line in continental Europe, designed to transport coal from the Stéphanois basin to the Loire. The engineer Louis-Antoine Beaunier, pioneer of the railways in France, supervised the realization, inspired by British models observed during study trips.

The construction of this line met a crucial industrial need: to open up the coal basin of the Loire, which became the first French coal producer after the loss of the Belgian and German departments in 1815. Traditional transport, by carts drawn by oxen or mules, degrading roads and limiting volumes, made a more efficient solution necessary. The railway, nicknamed the "dry canal", offered a cheaper and faster alternative than the Givors Canal, then in service.

The route, approved in 1824, connected the Pont-de-l'Âne to Andrézieux for 18 km, with connections to the local mines. The company, founded by Beaunier and investors such as Boigues and Hochet, obtained a royal concession in 1823, without competition, for a fixed and perpetual tariff. The works, which began in 1825, encountered local resistance during the expropriations, but the line was opened for the transport of goods in 1827, and then for travellers in 1832.

This bridge, a modest one-arch stone structure, is the only surviving remnant of this pioneering line. It symbolizes the technical innovation of the time, despite flaws and financial constraints. The company was finally purchased in 1852, integrated into the Rhône-Loire network, marking the transition to a national railway era.

The economic impact was immediate: coal transport became more efficient, stimulating coal production and local industries (metallurgy, glass). Although replaced by more modern lines, this railway remains a major historic milestone, illustrating the beginnings of the industrial revolution in France.

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