Bayonne–Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port railway

The Bayonne - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port railway is a French 52-kilometre long railway line, that connects the Bayonne to Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port, running through the foothills of the Pyrenees. The railway was opened fully in 1898.

Bayonne - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port railway
A train on the line in 2011.
Overview
Status	Operational
Owner	RFF
Locale	France (Nouvelle-Aquitaine)
Termini	Bayonne station Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port station
Service
System	SNCF
Operator(s)	SNCF
History
Opened	1891 - 1898
Technical
Line length	52 km (32 mi)
Number of tracks	Single track[1]
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification	1.5 kV DC[2]
Route map Legend Line to Bordeaux Bayonne Line to Toulouse Line to Hendaye Villefranque Ustaritz Jatxou Halsou-Larressore Cambo-les-Bains Itxassou Louhossoa Bidarray-Pont-Noblia Ossès-Saint-Martin-d'Arrossa Line to Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port

Route

Map of the line in 2013

The Bayonne - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port railway leaves the Bayonne station in a southerly direction. It crosses the river Adour south of Bayonne town centre, and then splits with the Toulouse-Bayonne railway and Bordeaux-Irun railway. It continues through valleys within the Pyrenees until it reaches Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port station, its south-eastern terminus.

History

The line opened in 3 sections between 1891 and 1898 as follows:

• Bayonne - Cambo-les-Bains on 19 January 1891
• Cambo-les-Bains - Ossès on 20 August 1892
• Ossès - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port on 11 December 1898

Between 1930 and 1931 the line was electrified to 1.5 kV DC, however in May 2010 the line was de-electrified to reduce the costs of renewing the electrical equipment.

As of 2014 no trains run south from Cambo-les-Bains and a rail replacement bus service is used from this station onwards to SJPP. The rails are rusty and there are weeds growing up between the crossties. The line hugs a river valley and in places is only 20 feet above the Nive river. At one point, where the line crosses the river on a truss bridge, the ballast has been washed away over a distance of about 30 feet and the rail and crossties are suspended in mid-air. There is a collection of driftwood at this point; evidence of flood damage (probably at this location: 43.256303, -1.320315).

The line was reopened on November 22, 2015.

Services

The Bayonne - Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port railway is used by the following passenger services:

• TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine regional services between Bayonne and Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port