Mont Cenis Pass Railway

The Mont Cenis Railway operated from 1868 to 1871 (with some interruptions) during the construction of the Fréjus Rail Tunnel. It was the first mountain railway in the world. It was designed by John Barraclough Fell and his three-rail design was used on some other mountain railways. The railway was 77 kilometres (48 miles) long, with a gauge of 1,100 mm (3 ft 7 ⁵⁄₁₆ in) and a maximum inclination of 9 per cent. It was used to transport English mail to India as part of the 1400 mile All Red Route.

A British company was established in 1864 by a number of British contractors, engineers and investors to obtain permission from the two governments to build the railway. These included: Thomas Brassey, Fell, James Brunlees and Alexander Brogden. Having obtained permission, in 1866 they established the Mont Cenis Railway Company to build and run the railway. Although it would eventually be superseded by the tunnel, they believed that, during its life the cost of the pass railway would be repaid with a profit to them. The company used British engine-drivers and workmen.

In the event there were delays in establishing the railway and it did not start until 15 June 1868. On the other hand, the tunnel progressed faster than expected as new tunnelling methods were developed; so the tunnel was opened on 16 October 1871. This meant that the pass railway was active for a shorter time than expected, leaving the proprietors with a considerable loss. However the technology proved itself and was used on a number of other mountain railways.

Until this railway was built, rail passengers had to cross the Alps by horse-drawn diligence in summer or sledge in winter.

The Pass Railway is sometimes called the Mont Cenis Summit Railway so as to distinguish it from the Tunnel Railway.

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