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Origin and history

The viaduct of the Tardes is a disused metal railway structure located between Évaux-les-Bains and Budelière, in the department of Creuse (Nouvelle-Aquitaine). 250.50 metres long and 91.33 metres high, it crossed the Tardes River, a tributary of the Cher River. Its crumbled iron apron rests on masonry batteries, illustrating a sober and functional industrial architecture.

Designed and realized between 1882 and 1885 by Les Constructions métaliques et entreprises générales de travaux publics de Levallois-Perret (future Eiffage Métal), the viaduct was led by Gustave Eiffel, assisted by the engineer Daigremont. It supported the single route of the Bourges-Miécaze line, connecting Paris to Aurillac via Ussel. The viaduct section was opened for traffic on 13 June 1887.

The viaduct, a symbol of the 19th century's industrial era and technical progress, ceased railway activity in March 2008. He was listed at the Monuments on January 15, 1975, recognizing his heritage value. Today, it testifies to Gustave Eiffel's bold engineering and the history of transport in Limousin.

The structure is distinguished by its architectural counting: a metal parapet with horizontal crumbs, supported by vertical masonry piles. This aesthetic and technical choice reflects the principles of rationality and efficiency advocated by Eiffel, also visible in his other works such as the eponymous Parisian tower.

Located at the edge of the Creuse and Allier departments, the viaduct marked a strategic point on the Montluçon-Eygurande line. Its abandonment in 2008 is part of the gradual decline of small rural railway lines in France, a victim of road competition and the reduction of public budgets allocated to local infrastructure.

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