Mont Blanc Express

What it is

The Mont Blanc Express is a narrow gauge, partly rack assisted line skirting the base of the Mont Blanc massif, and it is the only rail link between the Chamonix valley in France and the Rhone Valley in Switzerland. It runs from Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet through Chamonix to Vallorcine and across the border at Chatelard, continuing on Swiss metals to Martigny. The line is branded Mont Blanc Express on both sides of the border, run by Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR SA) on the Swiss side under the same identity as the French section.

Why this line

1. The French section from Saint-Gervais to Vallorcine measures 36.906 km, and the Swiss section from Martigny to Chatelard measures 18.363 km, both figures published by the operator.
2. The line tops out at 1386 m in the Col des Montets tunnel, just past Montroc-le-Planet station.
3. Sections of the route use a rack system to manage the gradient, unusual for a line that also carries regular commuter traffic rather than running purely as a tourist operation for visitors.
4. It crosses an international border partway along the route, at Chatelard, without this being a separate international service, just a continuous regional line.
5. It runs all year, with winter traffic mostly ski resort access into the Chamonix valley and summer traffic mostly hikers heading for the Mont Blanc massif trailheads.

Practical

No reservation is required, the Mont Blanc Express runs as a regular regional service rather than a booked panoramic train. Tickets can be bought on the day in the usual way for a commuter line. The valley is narrow enough that the massif is visible from both sides of the train for long stretches, and the line switches sides of the valley more than once on the climb from Saint-Gervais.

Gateways on the line

Martigny is the Swiss end, on the main line between Lausanne and the Simplon route towards Brig. Vallorcine and Argentiere follow on the climb towards the border and into the upper Chamonix valley. Chamonix-Mont-Blanc is the principal stop, the town most travellers on this line are heading to or from. Les Houches lies just beyond, and Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet is the French terminus, with a connecting mainline station for travellers arriving from Paris or Lyon, and it is the usual starting point for the full run across the border to Martigny.