Frejus Tunnel - Any Updates

[Teebs]

I've been trying to work out whether the Lyon-Turin rail route will have reopened by early January as I've started planning a holiday then, but I can't find any news updates since January this year. I'm not sure if I'm looking in the wrong place or not, but if anyone has any idea any information would be much appreciated.

I'm aware of the bus links and going through Switzerland would be a pain in the backside as I'll be coming from Perpignan.

 

[rvdborgt]

Still closed until further notice:

https://www.sncf-voyageurs.com/fr/voyagez-avec-nous/horaires-et-itineraires/informations-trafic/gl/

Don't expect it to reopen this year.

 

[Gloster]

An item from last month on .nosalpes.eu says that they are reasonably sure of reopening in December. However, there is still work to do and this is provisional.

 

[30907]

From Perpignan you would go via Marseille-Ventimiglia-Genova.
(Nice-Breil-Cuneo is closed from September till the end of 2025 - though long-term that's good news as an upgrade is desperately needed.)

 

[Dren Ahmeti]

(Nice-Breil-Cuneo is closed from September till the end of 2025 - though long-term that's good news as an upgrade is desperately needed.)

Glad I got it in before it closed then!
Off-topic, any idea what’s being upgraded along there? I know the storm a while back washed away a lot of the track; it’s a beautiful little line!

 

[30907]

Glad I got it in before it closed then!
Off-topic, any idea what’s being upgraded along there? I know the storm a while back washed away a lot of the track; it’s a beautiful little line!

I hope it includes upgrading the section from Breil to Tende (Italian-maintained for historical reasons, largely served by French trains) to allow more than the present trundle (40km/h?). ISTR there's a lot of work on Nice-Breil too, and the whole area is unstable geology.
Someone here will know more .

 

[Teebs]

Follow up question, does anyone know of any updates on the Frejus Tunnel. All I can find is articles saying "Q1 2025" for reopening, but without any further details. I'm going to be traveling from Milan to Paris in mid-March so it would be helpful if it was open. I expect the answer is most likely wait and see there may be more delays!

 

[rvdborgt]

Last I read somewhere was that SNCF expect a reopening in March, but there's no concrete date yet.

 

[nwales58]

No concrete date. The most recent article I've seen mentions Q1 2025 as when work on the cliff is finished and work on restoring the D1006 road can start:

Le chantier de sécurisation de la falaise de la Praz avance : petit point sur les prochaines dates clés

En Maurienne, un éboulement important a eu lieu au mois d'août 2023. Des travaux sont en cours depuis pour sécuriser la zone.

actu.fr

Road and railway are unlikely to be open by mid-March, therefore, is my guess. Construction progress in winter at 1000m, even in a valley bottom, is unpredictable.

You do have the TGV-coach-TGV through-ticketed service.

 

[Teebs]

No concrete date. The most recent article I've seen mentions Q1 2025 as when work on the cliff is finished and work on restoring the D1006 road can start:

Le chantier de sécurisation de la falaise de la Praz avance : petit point sur les prochaines dates clés

En Maurienne, un éboulement important a eu lieu au mois d'août 2023. Des travaux sont en cours depuis pour sécuriser la zone.

actu.fr

Road and railway are unlikely to be open by mid-March, therefore, is my guess. Construction progress in winter at 1000m, even in a valley bottom, is unpredictable.

You do have the TGV-coach-TGV through-ticketed service.

Thanks, guess I'll just go via Switzerland. Can't be bothered with faffing around on the train-bus-train service.

 

[D6130]

I noticed a French railfreight press release this morning - attached to post #1,545 in the 'Railfreight Flows & News UK' forum - which would appear to indicate that - for freight traffic at least - the Maurienne line was due to have reopened on 30th November. Sorry, I'm not sure how to link this....perhaps some kind person with more tech knowledge than me could post it?

 

[nwales58]

30th November 2024 appears untrue for through traffic. Did it mean as far as Saint-Michel-Valloire, which the TER now run as far as? Initially rail traffic terminated at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

Edit: see @rvdborgt post #8. It appears there was a press visit to the site on 25/10/24. Multiple news items stating railway reopens not before March 2025.

 

[D6130]

30th November 2024 appears untrue for through traffic. Did it mean as far as Saint-Michel-Valloire, which the TER now run as far as? Initially rail traffic terminated at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne.

Edit: see @rvdborgt post #8. It appears there was a press visit to the site on 25/10/24. Multiple news items stating railway reopens not before March 2025.

That's what I thought, but the press release seems to indicate otherwise....unless I've seriously mistranslated the French script.

 

[yoyothehobo]

In the summer i travelled by train to Saint-Michel-Valloire and got the immediate connecting bus for onward travel to Modane run as part of the TER service. My destination however was Modane so i do not know what the state of traffic through the Frejus tunnel was at the time, though i did see a TGV entering Modane station from the Tunnel side of the station, whether it was in service or just maintaining route knowledge from the Italian side up to Modane i do not know.

It was one hell of a rockfall though!

 

[Gloster]

I agree that it looks like ‘not before March 2025’, with a sense that that month is likely but not guaranteed. The dissemination of information has not been brilliant.

 

[chris2]

Seat 61 now carrying an update on the Paris->Milan page that trains might start running from 31st March onwards, but that it's not confirmed yet.

Running a search for direct trains, the latest I can find is Fri 28th March 14:48->23.10, which is the current service with the bus transfer. From Sat 29th, no options are coming up.

Anyone know any more about when it might be announced? I'm potentially going that way in Early April.

 

[D6130]

I'm potentially going that way in Early April.

Me too....but from what I've read elsewhere, I would be very surprised if it were open by then.

 

[nwales58]

Agreed

from what I've read elsewhere, I would be very surprised if it were open by then.

Agreed. Latest announcement I'm aware of is still 25/10/24 where 'not before March 2025' was reported in some places is 'expected to reopen in March 2025' (and the road later).

trainsfret.com has a more recent piece on work in progress rebuilding the railway:

Réouverture de la voie ferrée de la vallée de la Maurienne prévue pour mars 2025

Mi-décembre une nouvelle étape décisive a été franchie en Maurienne, sur le chantier de l’éboulement de la falaise de la Praz, avec le démarrage des travaux de reconstruction de l’infrastructure fe…

trainsfret.com

The next stages of this unusual construction site are: from January 2025 work will start on repairing the tunnel entrance, reinstating catenary, signal cabling ... SNCF Réseau will then start testing ...

We ... will continue regular contact with relevant organisations ... until we can all celebrate the reopening ... forecast for next March.

Considering the importance, I would expect we will see a definitive announcement reported prominently in RGI or wherever you read your international rail news.

If you want to keep an eye on web news try searching periodically for "eboulement de la Praz" for anything since last December.

 

[Birkonian]

DB is showing the direct TGV running from 1st April on its website. Nothing on SNCF site nor Trenitalia.

 

[signed]

Trenitalia currently extends, until March 30th, one Paris-Lyon return every weekend, up to Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne. April 1st return of the Maurienne route sounds likely.

 

[rvdborgt]

DB is showing the direct TGV running from 1st April on its website. Nothing on SNCF site nor Trenitalia.

Interesting. That means SNCF did at some point upload the new timetables to MERITS.

 

[Birkonian]

Interesting. That means SNCF did at some point upload the new timetables to MERITS.

I thought they did. When I looked again and they weren't there I doubted myself.

 

[c52]

I'm another waiting to buy a ticket Paris-Turin on April 1st.

 

[Birkonian]

I'm fortunate in that not travelling until mid June. I can wait and see if services do resume before then and plan accordingly. I've just had an email from SNCF stating that tickets for Spring go on sale on Wednesday. I will be checking then.

 

[rvdborgt]

Timetables are already online. Trenitalia Paris-Milan (runs from 1/4) can already be booked; for SNCF Paris-Milan (runs from 31/3) I'd expect reservations to open tomorrow.

 

[Birkonian]

Timetables are already online. Trenitalia Paris-Milan (runs from 1/4) can already be booked; for SNCF Paris-Milan (runs from 31/3) I'd expect reservations to open tomorrow.

Thanks,
I've booked Paris to Venice in June for £65 in Business Class.

 

[D6130]

Thanks,
I've booked Paris to Venice in June for £65 in Business Class.

That's very good value! I have today booked two business class tickets from Paris to Milano on Friday 4th April for €85 each. (Train FR9281, 07 30 Paris Lyon - Milano Centrale, arr. 14 07).

 

[chris2]

Doesn’t look like the French trains are bookable yet. The trains show but no prices come up. Can anyone guess when these might become available and whether the prices are likely to be less / more / similar to the Italian ones?

 

[rvdborgt]

Doesn’t look like the French trains are bookable yet. The trains show but no prices come up. Can anyone guess when these might become available and whether the prices are likely to be less / more / similar to the Italian ones?

I just received a notification that reservations are open now. I see prices. If you don't then what is your travel date?

 

[chris2]

Yup I see them and got myself booked! Happy travels!!