Saint-Étienne to Andrézieux Railway

Saint-Étienne - Andrézieux railway
An intermediate station of the line in 1836
Overview
Type	Railway
Termini	Saint-Étienne Andrézieux
Operation
Opened	1827
Technical
Line length	18 km (11.2 mi)
Number of tracks	1
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in)

The Saint-Étienne to Andrézieux railway (ligne de Saint-Étienne à Andrézieux) was the first public railway in France and continental Europe, granted by order of King Louis XVIII to Louis-Antoine Beaunier in 1823.

Eighteen kilometers long and opened on 30 June 1827 to transport coal from the Forez mines to the River Loire, it marked the beginning of the expansion of the railway in France.

At the end of the First French Empire and the beginning of the Bourbon Restoration, the mining basin of the Loire was the largest in France; Saint-Étienne one of the largest cities, but the existing communication was not sufficient to meet industrial and mining needs. .

Two local engineers, Louis de Gallois and Louis-Antoine Beaunier, after a study trip to England, concluded the necessity of a railway. .

On 5 May 1821, Beaunier combined with financiers having interests in the region to demand the granting of a railway from Saint-Etienne to Andrézieux, about 23 kilometres long.

By royal decree of 25 February 1823, MM. de Lur-Saluces and others were allowed, under the title of the railroad company, to establish a line from the Loire at Pont-de-l’Âne on the river Furens (or Furan, its modern name), to the coal-mining area of Saint-Étienne.

Traffic was limited to goods, particularly coal. The mileage tax was 0.0186 francs per hectolitre of coal or 50 kg of goods.

The concession was perpetual.

The Ordinance of 21 July 1824 authorized and approved the constitution of a company called Compagnie du chemin de fer de Saint-Étienne à la Loire for the implementation and operation of the line. The company was formed for 99 years, unless renewed. .

The capital was one million francs, represented by 200 shares of 5000 francs plus eight bonus shares given to the author of the project, Louis-Antoine Beaunier, who became the director of the company. .

The line was used for trials from 1 May 1827 and fully opened on 30 June 1827. The "official" opening on 1 October 1828 was never held, nor any opening. This date refers to the first full financial year.