Fives–Hirson railway explained

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Fives–Hirson Railway
Status:	Open
Locale:	France (Hauts-de-France)
Start:	Lille
End:	Hirson
Open:	1869 - 1872
Owner:	SNCF (1938–present)
Linelength:	123km (76miles)
Tracks:	Double track

The Fives–Hirson railway is a double tracked electrified railway line linking Lille-Flandres with Hirson.

History

The line opened in stages:^[1]

• Aulnoye to Hirson, 30 October 1869
• Lille to Gare de Valenciennes, 22 June 1870
• Valenciennes to Aulnoye, 1 September 1872

Infrastructure

Electrification was complete by 1958. The line uses automatic block signalling (BAL, Bloc Automatique Lumineux).

References

50.2707°N 3.5874°W

Notes and References

1. Web site: Rapports et délibérations - Nord, Conseil général. Gallica. 22 March 2014.