Visiting La Mure? Step back in time aboard the Petit Train de La Mure
It’s easy to miss La Mure. It’s a small town of about 5,000 people on the Route Napoléon, just over 20 miles south of Grenoble, where the mountain views take your breath away and towns are few and far between.
However, La Mure hides a secret: it’s the start of one of the most scenic train journeys in the French Alps. The Petit Train de La Mure is the perfect illustration of an excursion where the journey is as worthwhile as the destination.
A railway established over 100 years ago
The Petit Train de La Mure was not always a tourist railway. The line was built between 1882 and 1886, opening officially in 1888, with the main objective of transporting coal to Grenoble from mining areas of the Matheysine plateau. It was also used to transport the miners and other people working in and around the mines, as well as serving the villages dotted along the route.
For more than 100 years, the Petit Train de La Mure navigated the steep, narrow 30-kilometre-long railway line that ran between the small mountain mining community of La Mure and the town of Saint-Georges-de-Commiers. It was the world’s first high-voltage direct current railway, but it lost its regular public passenger service in 1950 and most of its freight traffic in 1952. Only anthracite coal continued to be transported, with this traffic finally ceasing in 1988.
The line almost closed in the mid-1970s, and if the country hadn’t been suffering an oil crisis, it would have met its end. Instead, its life was extended by 15 years, proving to be its salvation as it went on to become one of the finest tourist railways in Europe.
However, on 26 October 2010, shortly before the end of the season, a landslide destroyed the Viaduc de la Clapisse and parts of a tunnel entrance. The Petit Train was stopped in its tracks – literally – as over 3,000 m3 of mountain crashed onto the railway. It looked like the end of the line for the Petit Train and for 11 years the red locomotives were stuck in the sidings.
Getting the wheels turning again on the Petit Train de La Mure
In June 2017, the General Council of the Department of Isère announced that the company Edeis had been chosen to repair the railway and take over its operation, with the aim of having it running again for the 2020 season. The line was so badly damaged that only half of the line eventually reopened in July 2021, with the route starting from La Mure and continuing to the viewpoint at Le Grand Balcon.
Part of the rolling stock includes the original locomotives and restored historic carriages as well as new Swiss-made rail coaches. Most train tracks around the world have a standard gauge of 1.435 m, but the Petit Train tracks have a 1-metre gauge, which is well suited to winding mountain routes. Swiss-made rail coaches were used because narrow-gauge lines are also quite common in Switzerland’s mountain railways. The sinuous route means that the journey is taken at a slower pace, with the trains travelling at a pleasant 19 mph.
All aboard for the Grand Balcon de Monteynard
The journey takes about 50 minutes and passes through 5 towns, 5 tunnels and 3 viaducts before reaching Monteynard. It is not a journey for reading. The longest tunnel is over 1 km long and brings you to La Motte-d’Aveillans, another former mining town. This is home to the Musée La Mine, the Mine Museum, which explores how mining shaped the area. Some trains enable you to stop here on your return trip and then hop on a later train for the final part of the journey back to La Mure.
Once off the train, it’s a simple 400-metre walk to the end destination. Follow the path from the station, passing a panoramic restaurant, and you’ll arrive at the final viewpoint: Belvédère du Grand Balcon. Arriving at the Grand Balcon de Monteynard is undoubtedly the highlight of the journey. Here, you can look out over the vast artificial lake of Monteynard, created in 1962 to power turbines and generate electricity. It’s surely one of the finest views in the French Alps.
Why should you make a stop at the Petit Train?
Unlike many other railways, the Petit Train de La Mure has become a tourist attraction, combining an area of industrial heritage with some of the most outstanding scenery in the region.
The train takes you through tunnels, over viaducts, across precipitous cliffs and offers magnificent views over the Drac Valley. And at the end of the line, the Grand Balcon de Monteynard has one of the most spectacular panoramas in the French Alps.
Tickets, please! Practical booking information for the Petit Train de La Mure
During peak season (July and August), it’s best to book your journey on the Petit Train de La Mure in advance. Aim to arrive at least 15 minutes before departure and keep your train ticket ready on your smartphone for the return journey.
You can also add a visit to the Mine Image Museum to your journey, but if you do, bring warm clothing as it can get chilly underground.
The train runs from April to December. Departing from La Mure, it runs up to 6 times a day in peak season, 2 or 3 times a day during the rest of the season, and once a day in December. The return journey takes approximately 3 hours.
Return tickets during peak season cost €28.50 per adult and €22.50 for children aged 4 to 15. Children under 4 travel free. Low-season tickets cost €26.50 per adult and €21 per child. Family tickets for two adults and two children are available for €94 during peak season and €85.50 during low season. There is an additional €7 per person if you wish to visit the Mine Museum.
For more information, visit the official Petit Train de La Mure website. Explore more of what La Matheysine has to offer on the Matheysin Tourism website.
