The French Railway You’ve Never Heard Of – Chemin de Fer de la Corse

The French Railway You’ve Never Heard Of – Chemin de Fer de la Corse

Good morning folks, and welcome to Bastia, Corsica’s second-largest city! Today we will travel across the whole island of Corsica with CFC (Chemin de Fer de la Corse) For those who don’t know, Corsica is an island southeast of the French Riviera (north of Sardinia). The island is part of French territory. Corsica is an island I visited a couple of times when I was a kid, and it’s one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been. But, as surprising as it may be, Corsica has a railway system (spoiler it’s gorgeous!) Of course, it’s not as developed as the one in continental France, but it’s still very useful for the locals and an attraction for tourists like me Trains came to the island in the late 19th century. The first line opened between Bastia and Corte in 1888 (later extended to Ajaccio in 1894). And today we’re going to Ajaccio, Corsica’s largest city, from coast to coast across the mountains! This is the longest journey you can do in Corsica by train. Unlike in mainland France, the whole CFC network is metric gauge (1,000 mm), which is better suited for the winding landscape of Corsica. There are only two rail lines in Corsica: the main line between Bastia and Ajaccio across the whole island, and another line branching out from the main line at Ponte Leccia to Calvi. We’re still in France folks, so don’t expect a great frequency: only five round trips a day between Bastia and Ajaccio. It takes 3h48 to travel between Bastia and Ajaccio for 157 km. Quite slow (one hour slower than driving), but this journey is very scenic, so I’m quite excited! Here’s my train for today… These are the AMG 800s, narrow-gauge DMUs built by CFD (now CAF) in the late 2000s in France. These trains look rather modern in my opinion! I can already see the large windows, perfect for our scenic ride today. Even though they’re from a different manufacturer, these trains remind me a lot of SNCF’s local trains of the same era, the AGC built by Bombardier. They really have the same vibe! By the way, the Chemin de Fer de Corse has a little nickname: “u Trinichellu,” which means “the little train” in Corsican. Metric bogie. Alright, let’s board! For today’s ride I paid €25.10, the classic fare for going across the island, which is a fair price for a ride of almost four hours. Large wide entrance, love it! Bright interior—geez, these large windows are everything! We’ll skip the seat pitch… actually awful, and same for the table, lol—you can’t even deploy it completely with your legs. Ah well, it’s because of the train’s layout; the seats in front of you are lower… At least there’s a power outlet! At least the seats are comfortable—that’s something! They could use a little refurbishment, ahah. All in all, a very bright interior, perfect for the views with lots of potential. I really hope they have a refurbishment project planned soon. A comprehensive map of the CFC network. This is where the other line (Ligne de la Balagne) branches off: Ponte Leccia. We’re ready for departure—let’s take a look at an overview of our winding but scenic journey ahead! Departure right on time from Bastia. Our train is about to enter the Torreta tunnel right under the city. Here’s a drone shot from the day before. CFC also runs a suburban service in and out of Bastia to serve the more densely populated region stretching from Bastia to Casamozza. They run a more frequent service on this stretch of the line, mostly for commuters. This is also where our train hit its top speed of 80 km/h (50 mph). To be fair, this is the only time the train is running in a straight and not winding section! We’ve just passed Casamozza; now we’re heading straight into the beautiful nature of Corsica! What you see in the background is Monte Cinto, Corsica’s highest mountain at 2,706 m (8,878 ft). We’ll see the mountain better as we approach Ponte Leccia. Corsica is an island with very difficult terrain across most of its territory. We’re currently following the Golo River. Truly beautiful. Monte Cinto in the background! I’m sure it’s beautiful in the winter when it’s snowy (and yes, there’s snow in Corsica! 🙂 ). We’re arriving in Ponte Leccia. This is where the Balagne line branches off. This line is quite famous for having the train literally run by the beach. Here’s a little preview… don’t forget to subscribe so you don’t miss it 🙂 At main stops, the train stays for a longer period of time, usually to let another train pass by, as the CFC network is mostly single-track. By the way, for this video I had special access to the driver’s cabin, and he let us ride with him for a long part of the journey! Enjoy folks! The track sound is immaculate… A glimpse at the former rolling stock of CFC, the X 97050, still in operation on the Balagne line. If you think this is beautiful, wait a bit folks—it’s about to get even more stunning! We’ll let the driver have some peace of mind before heading back in. Let’s check out a bit more of our little train. Built in 2007, the 10th unit of the series (out of 12). Well, there’s a slight lighting issue. To my surprise, everything was working properly and perfectly fine. I have to say, the late 2000s were peak years for DMUs in Europe. Look at this—it’s bright thanks to the giant windows, and it feels very roomy even despite the smaller loading gauge. This is where I sat later with my friends. What surprises me is that CFC runs a sort of small parcel service onboard its trains! Pretty cool to see that the train still plays such an important role in the daily life of the islanders. That’s it! Small train, quick walkthrough. Honestly, with an upgraded interior, these little units could be perfection! The main stop on our stretch between Bastia and Ajaccio is Corte (a beautiful village by the way). I’d highly recommend stopping here if you can. This is where the trains cross each other—one heading to Bastia, the other to Ajaccio. A couple of days earlier, I flew the drone over the departure of the Ajaccio train. Departure from Corte right on time. Now we’re about to enter the most beautiful section of the journey until Vizzavona, which is the highest station on the CFC network. We’ll go deep into the mountains through rough terrain. And of course, this is the best spot to enjoy the view. This is the viaduct above the Vecchio River… breathtaking. Approaching Vivario. See the straight line in the background? That’s the line! Quite a climb! Now that’s a very random stop! They operate flag stops by the way—you need to notify the conductor if you want to get out. Look at the impressive incline! The maximum gradient is 3%, which is quite a lot for railways. Risking my phone (and my hand lol) to shoot some good content for you folks! And welcome to Vizzavona, the highest station at 906 meters (3,816 feet) above sea level. 106 km away from Bastia. We’re about to enter the Vizzavona tunnel under the Vizzavona Pass. This tunnel is 3.9 km long. And fun fact: it’s one of the longest narrow-gauge tunnels in the world! This is also where we’re passing the watershed—after the apex, it’s fully downhill toward Ajaccio. The landscape is definitely different now—more lush and green. A little maintenance was waiting for us after the climb over the Vizzavona Pass. Back to civilization! Just like in Bastia, CFC runs a local commuter train between Ajaccio and Mezzana, with more frequent service dedicated to commuters. By the way, if this sign seems familiar, it’s because at one point the French national railway, SNCF, was responsible for operating the railway in Corsica (they did so between 1983 and 2012). The Mediterranean Sea and Ajaccio are finally in sight. By the way, this is where our dear Napoleon was born 🙂 now you know #funfact. We arrived right on time in Ajaccio, and honestly, what a wonderful trip. It’s a shame this service isn’t more well known, because it’s just breathtaking and convenient. If you’re heading to Corsica folks, take a ride on the u Trinichellu—you won’t regret it! Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you next week for more adventures on the rails.

bonghjornu!

I bet you didn’t know that France had a little railway network in Corsica? Well, now you know, and you should try it, it’s outstanding! 🚆🇫🇷

Map realized with Viaduct, more at https://viaduct.world/

– TRIP INFORMATION –
Date: OCTOBER 2023
Railway company: U CAMINU DI FERRU DI A CORSICA
Route : Bastia to Ajaccio
Time : 3h48
Price : 25,10€

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00:00 : Intro
01:04 : CFC
02:54 : AMG 800
03:46 : Boarding
04:04 : Seat Check
05:13 : Departure & Overview
06:18 : Bastia Departure
07:00 : Corsica S-bahn
07:55 : Into the mountains
08:36 : Monte Cinto
09:09 : Branching off
09:38 : Cab ride
11:20 : Walkthrough
12:09 : Toilets Time
12:42 : Lovely DMU
14:00 : Corte
14:52 : Mid roll ads
15:45 : Cab ride into Vizzavona
20:15 : Highest point on the system
21:07 : Downhill
22:50 : Arrival in Ajaccio
23:12 : Outro