The tramway from Verneuil-l'Étang to Melun, also known as the Verneuil tacot or Verneuil tramway, was one of the secondary railway lines in Seine-et-Marne, operated from 1901 to 1950 by the Société générale des chemins de fer économiques (SE), of which it was the first line in the department. It connected Melun to Verneuil-l'Étang. The line was 18.390 km long and took one hour to cover on a one-meter gauge track. Passenger numbers increased until 1914, but the war subsequently disrupted its traffic. Between the two World Wars, buses competed with it for passenger traffic. The line’s profitability then declined, and it was eventually used only by the sugar industry before its closure and dismantling.
History
Plans for the line
Early projects
During the second half of the 19th century, the railway network expanded in Seine-et-Marne. The towns of Verneuil-l'Étang and Melun both had mainline stations, the former on the Paris-Est to Mulhouse-Ville line, and the latter on the Paris-Lyon to Marseille-Saint-Charles line. During this period, the department began considering ways to connect the two towns by rail. With the publication of the 1880 law on secondary railways, the department of Seine-et-Marne placed particular importance on areas of its territory not served by rail. However, the chief engineer of the departmental Ponts et Chaussées curbed the department's ambitions, doubting that the future tramways of Seine-et-Marne could be as successful as “in other departments that are both agricultural and industrial.” He therefore proposed the construction of one or two lines that would serve as a test, after which the costs and profitability could be assessed before considering the construction of additional lines.
On August 25, 1882, an initial project was presented by the Compagnie de l’Est, proposing a line from Melun to Coulommiers via Marles-en-Brie. The conseil général rejected the project in its current form and requested the opening of a public inquiry into various proposed routes for this connection, which was considered highly important for military reasons.
On March 25, 1885, the conseil général of Seine-et-Marne approved the connections from Coulommiers to La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, from Brie-Comte-Robert to Verneuil, and from Verneuil to Marles-en-Brie and Rozay-en-Brie, while postponing the project for a line from Melun to Verneuil.
It was not until 1892 that the chief engineer, M. Koziorowicz, proposed the creation of steam tramway lines built on road shoulders, with rails laid along the edge of the roadway rather than on a separate platform. This significantly reduced construction costs, as the department would build its network itself and then lease it to an “operating contractor.” The topography of the Seine-et-Marne department, along with the layout of already existing lines, led the conseil général to plan several transverse lines running from south to north, the first of which would be a line from Melun to Guignes.
Origin of the line
A circular was issued on April 8, 1892, concerning a proposed narrow-gauge railway presented by Henri Décante, starting from a station named “Melun-La Varenne,” located on Rue de Dammarie in Melun.
According to the project, the line would then pass over the railway bridge of the PLM line, widened for the occasion, to stop at the “Mée-sur-Seine” station. After that, the tramway line would separate from the main line and follow a sharp curve to run alongside chemin no 39. It would cross this path at the junction of a road leading to the Mée town hall, where a halt would be located. It would then continue almost in a straight line toward the junction of the Paris and Brie roads, crossing underneath. At this location, there would be the “Melun-Saint-Barthélémy” station. After this stop, the line would follow a fold in the terrain to bypass the Montaigu hill, then pass under chemin no 35, near the gates of the Voisenon park. It would then cross the small valley closed off by the Saint-Nicolas meadows stream, passing over the road from Voisenon to Maincy. The “Rubelles-Voisenon” station would be located at the level crossing of chemin no 82, equidistant from the two towns. The line would then continue along the border of the two territories. It would then curve right to reach road no 21, where there would be a halt at Montereau-sur-le-Jard, at the location known as “Luteau.” It would then follow the road from Rubelles to Saint-Germain, to reach the town and “Saint-Germain-Laxis” station, at the intersection with chemin no 126. The line would take the to reach the “Les Bordes” halt at the intersection with chemin no 57, then “Champdeuil-Crisenoy” station at the intersection with chemin no 130, followed by the optional halts of “Genouilly,” “Suscy,” and “Vulaines.” The tacot would then reach the “Vitry-Guignes” station at the junction of national road 36, departmental road 11, and chemin no 99. The line would end at “,” via a curve, connecting with the .
The Vitry-Guignes station had the advantage of being very close to the Guignes sugar factory. The track would be between 0.6 and 1 meter wide. However, this project would require not only widening the Mée bridge, which would be very costly, but also obtaining permission from the PLM company to use its tracks. Furthermore, another issue arose: the challenge of making the tramway tracks coexist with those of the mainline railways, which had a rail gauge of 1.435 meters. This project underwent numerous changes but remained unrealized for five years.
Nevertheless, the need for such a line kept growing due to the increasing production of sugar factories, distilleries, and beet slicing facilities in the region, which required more efficient transportation.
Melun to Guignes line
A new project was developed by the department in 1893, placing the Melun terminus station on Rue des Marais. Two locations were considered: one near the Almont, on the banks of the Seine, and the other near the college, not far from the courthouse. The local engineer of Melun highlighted that the second location would be unfavorable for effective service because it would be too far from the city center and would also be difficult to access for freight; moreover, it would make a possible future extension of the tramway to Melun station impossible. Therefore, the first location was preferred, as it had the advantage of being near Place Saint-Jean, in the center of Melun. Additionally, this location would allow the construction of a branch line to the Seine bank to set up a water point to supply locomotives with water.
The planned route would start from chemin no 35, then follow chemin no 117, take , and, via a diversion, serve Guignes and connect to the , whose section between Verneuil and Marles-en-Brie had just opened on June 4, 1893. The project had the advantage of featuring minimal gradients, little earthwork, and few engineering structures to build, thus making it inexpensive to construct. In addition to the terminal stations, stations were planned at Saint-Germain-Laxis, Champdeuil, Crisenoy, and a second one in Guignes to serve the sugar factory. These stations would be complemented by a “Rubelles-Voisenon” halt and optional stops at the hamlets of Trois-Moulins, Bordes, Genouilly, and Suscy.
The line was planned to be 16.114 kilometers long: 15.114 kilometers from Melun station to Guignes station, plus 1,000 meters for an extension to the Seine. The project’s expenses were set at 624,000 francs, or 38,700 francs per kilometer.
Another route was also considered, starting from the entrance to Guignes, passing along chemin no 99 to connect to Verneuil station. This alternative had the advantage of allowing travel to Coulommiers without changing trains at Guignes. However, it required widening this road, which was too narrow, and extending the line by six kilometers. The cost of this extension would range from 73,000 to 82,000 francs, depending on the chosen route. Ultimately, the project abandoned the idea of a connection to Verneuil and focused on Guignes.
Creation of the line
Project approval
In 1897, the connection from Melun to Villiers-Saint-Georges via Verneuil and Jouy-le-Châtel was one of the six most requested. However, the department could not financially support the many projects under consideration. The conseil général decided that same year, after much hesitation, to proceed with the creation of two lines: one from Sablonnières to Bray-sur-Seine, and the other from Verneuil to Melun, to serve as many towns as possible.
After abandoning many proposed routes, the conseil général gave a favorable opinion for the creation of a line from Melun to Verneuil. A retrocession agreement was signed between the prefect of Seine-et-Marne and the director of SE on April 28, 1899. The formalities for the declaration of public utility were immediately undertaken, and the file was forwarded to the higher authorities. The line was declared of public utility by a decree on May 6, 1899.
In 1900, during its first session, the conseil général decided to create a departmental network of 133 kilometers, to be built by the department, which would then seek a concessionaire to operate it and provide the rolling stock, tools, depots, workshops, and station furniture. Within this network, the Verneuil to Melun line was isolated from the “,” where all the other lines intersected. The project involved a line running from the river port of Melun to Verneuil, passing through the Guignes sugar factory. The route chosen was similar to the December 1893 project, with the Verneuil variant and an additional stop planned at Melun-Octroi.
Three candidates were interested in the project: the , the Société générale des chemins de fer économiques, and Messrs. Coignet and Grosselin, public works contractors and concessionaires of other local railways. After reviewing the three offers, that of the Société générale des chemins de fer économiques, which had good references, was chosen. Despite its good results, the was not selected, even though it offered the same conditions and already operated other lines in Seine-et-Marne, as the conseil général wanted to diversify its operators.
The terminal station of the tramway, known as Melun-Ville and located near the Seine, on Rue Mail-Gaillardon, was not planned to connect with the PLM station located at the other end of the city. It was considered too difficult to cross the entire city using road bridges or to build a bridge near the prison to cross the Seine. Such a route would have been too costly for a low-cost railway. The connection between the two stations was therefore made via the .
Preparation of the line
The line was the first in the network to complete the parcel surveys; on 23 February 1900, a ruling was issued for the expropriations necessary for the construction of the tramway. Amicable agreements were made with consenting property owners, and compensation was granted to others. The delivery of ballast was awarded on 30 December 1899. The works on the deviation near Guignes were assigned on 24 February 1900. Subsequently, for the entire network, the department attempted a tendering process in four lots on 13 March 1900: supply of rails and fishplates, supply of screw spikes, fishplate bolts and washers, supply of switches, and supply of sleepers. Only the third lot was awarded to Magnard & Co., from Fourchambault, at a reduced price. Negotiations for the other lots lasted longer.
The establishment expenses for the line, excluding rolling stock, tools, and furnishings, were set at 784,000 francs as of 1 January 1901; the department additionally allocated 250,000 francs for the construction of the line during 1901.