Sur le chemin du premier chemin de fer Français

Between 1835 and 1860, the Loire region sealed its historical destiny.

The Loire department was landlocked, with few trade routes. For centuries, Saint-Étienne was just a large village and only gained importance in the 17th century. The invaluable exploitation of coal caused a surge in population and workers. The associated industrial and commercial development was promising.

From 1720, coal was commonly used by the inhabitants, and by 1786, the total production of the coal basin reached 177,000 tons. The coal from Saint-Étienne was transported to the Loire, where it was shipped from Saint-Just. The road from Roanne to Saint-Étienne was created, along with its branch from La Gouyonnière to the Loire, making access to the river easier. However, the journey remained long and risky for the animals carrying the precious coal.

This all changed with the new spirit of openness, rooted in 17th-century scientific thought and strengthened by the potential of a revolutionary technology capable of multiplying commercial speed tenfold and hauling capacity a hundredfold: THE RAILWAY. Thus, the Loire became the cradle of French railways.

In 1823, this mountainous department, isolated from major trade routes, built its first three railways. The first line, from Pont de l’Âne to the Loire, was used exclusively to transport coal from the mines to the river. For the first time, Saint-Étienne’s coal trade reached Paris and its surrounding region. The Andrézieux-Roanne line, inaugurated in 1834, allowed trade to bypass the uncertainties of the river. Finally, the Saint-Étienne–Lyon line, built by the Seguin brothers, opened new commercial prospects to the south. On this line, Marc Seguin’s new invention, the locomotive, was inaugurated.

It was thanks to the intelligence and ingenuity of men and women with genuine confidence in industry and the new technologies of the 17th century that the Loire laid the solid foundations of its economic prosperity, which would last for over a century. The Loire thus became a major industrial region that would influence all of France, shaping it into the active and modern city we know today