Somain-Halluin Railway

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The Somain-Halluin railway was a French standard gauge railway in the Nord-Pas-de-Calais. It was 35 miles long and it linked the town of Somain in the département du Nord with Halluin near the Belgian border, via Orchies and Tourcoing. Today, most of the line is closed to passengers, except a 12-mile section between Orchies and Ascq which is used by TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais.

History[]

On 15 September 1871, the French North Eastern railway was awarded a concession to construct the Somain to Roubaix & Tourcoing railway. The line aimed to transport coal to support textile industries in the area. Local municipalities had been consulted in June 1871, and a definitive route was published just over three years later on 12 January 1875.

In 1876, the French Northern Railway acquired various railway lines in the area, including the short part of the Somain-Halluin Railway which was then open (10 miles between Somain and Orchies). In 1879, the line reached Tourcoing.

The first section of the line to lose passenger trains was the stretch between Somain and Orchies, where services were withdrawn on 15 May 1939. The section between Ascq and Tourcoing followed six weeks later.

Passenger services were maintained until December 1971 between Toircoing and Halluin.

Closure[]

After passenger services were withdrawn, freight services continued to use the line. However, most of the line was eventually shut down in stages:

• Halluin to Belgian border: 24 February 1975
• Wandignies-Hamage to Orchies and Lannoy to Roubaix-Wattrelos: 22 February 1991

References[]

• Fascicule Gares et lignes du nord edited by COPEF (Cercle Ouest Parisien d'Études Ferroviaires), 1985.
• http://telechargement.ter-sncf.com/Images/Nord_Pas_De_Calais/Tridion/fiche_horaires_ligne_3-4_tcm-26-67910.pdf

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