the little train of La Mûre in Isère tells part of the history of Matheysine

The little Mûre tourist train takes you back in time to discover the mining history of Matheysine, and offers an exceptional panorama of the Drac gorges

The little La Mûre train, emblem of Isère's railway heritage, has marked the history of mountain transport since its opening in 1888. Connecting the town of La Mûre on the Matheysin plateau to the Drac valley below, this line of 30 kilometers not only promoted the economic development of the region, but also served as a link between isolated communities.

▶️ REPLAY Chronicles from Above: Matheysine along the rails

At the end of the 19th century, the La Mûre valley was mainly rural and difficult to access. The idea of ​​building a railway line in this steep region has sparked much debate. Despite technical and financial obstacles, the project was launched. Built using innovative techniques for the time, the route was dotted with viaducts and tunnels, symbolizing the audacity of the engineers and the determination of the inhabitants. It was one of the first to be fully electrified. The passage through the Drac gorges is particularly impressive. It is also on these unstable walls that a terrible landslide almost condemned the tourist operation of this train in 2010. But since 2021, the terminus has been moved upstream and operation has resumed.

This train only became touristy in 1997, when the last anthracite mines closed. Previously, it had its heyday in the 1920s and 1930s, carrying passengers and especially goods. It played a crucial role in transporting coal from local mines, promoting the industrial development of the region.

However, like many secondary railway lines, that of La Mûre suffered from competition from automobiles and the decline of the mining industry. The closure of regular services in 1970 marked the start of a period of decline. Despite everything, the passion for this railway heritage has made it possible to keep the memory of the little train alive.

Since the 2000s, initiatives had been put in place to rehabilitate part of the line, and today, the little train of La Mûre offers daily tourist rides, bringing this symbol of local history back to life. Visitors can now enjoy journeys through the heart of Alpine landscapes, while discovering the rich past of this railway and a time when the abundant anthracite beneath the mountains was considered “the diamond of Matheysine”.

If the wagons have been renovated inside, the exterior of the carriages and the driving cabin of the engine, inaccessible to the general public, are a real treasure which takes us back to the era of our electric trains, but life-size. The command post remained completely in its original state. Obviously, nothing is electronic, everything is manual, and the machinist must be trained to operate the locomotive as if he were driving it a century ago.

The little train of La Mûre is not only a tourist attraction; it represents a living testimony to technical genius and community spirit. Thanks to the guided tour, each trip on board evokes the history of a region which has been able to transform itself while preserving its identity. Dependent on coal in the 19th century, Matheysine then turned to other types of energy production, with its large dams, but also its solar power plant. Tourism, in this region with its varied mountain landscapes, along the famous Napoleon Road, is also an asset for the plateau.

The current success of this line demonstrates the growing interest in railway heritage and the desire to develop local resources. Thus, the little train of La Mûre continues to write its history, one journey at a time, between memory and future.

▶️ “Matheysine along the rails” in “Chronicles from Above”. A program presented by Laurent Guillaume, produced by Marc de Langenhagenbroadcast on Sunday December 1st on France 3 Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, and available in REPLAY on france.tv