Perpignan - Villefranche-Vernet-les-Bains Closure

[wellhouse]

This is the line that connects Perpignan to Le Petit Train Jaune to Latour La Carol.

It has been closed since a derailment last July, and I understand that repairs have been prevented owing to a dispute between SNCF and a local municipality over the costs of bridge repairs. I'm hoping to travel on this route in July, but I have only seen vague suggestions that service will be restored in the summer.

Can anyone offer info on a likely reopening date?

 

[HS2isgood]

No one knows. It's SNCF Réseau, that kind of lines spend closed as much time as they spend open.

 

[Flange Squeal]

I wouldn't hold your breath. Following the crash on 14 December 2017, when a bus on a level crossing near Millas was hit by a train (tragically resulting in the deaths of several children), the branch line didn't reopen fully for nearly three years while the investigation and subsequent level crossing modifications were carried out (Perpignan to Ille-sur-Tet on 6 April 2020, Prades on 31 August, and Villefranche on 23 November).

I spend quite a lot of my time in the area and I've yet to hear of any real progress being made thus far in getting the line west of Ille-sur-Tet sorted. The most recent update we had locally (local media and word of mouth) was, funnily enough, last weekend from a local campaign group. SNCF have said the remains of the bridge need to be demolished as part of the work to reopen the line, but the mayor of a nearby village has refused to pass the costs of rebuilding on to local people through tax and saying it should be covered by SNCF's insurers (they were quoted as saying it would cost around 700000 euros). A legal process is currently going through to formally decide who should be covering the costs, but even once that has happened and works planned, it was said that it would be around 3-4 months minimum to demolish the bridge and get trains running again.