Garabit Viaduct

Gustave Eiffel's company built the Garabit viaduct between 1882 and 1884 to carry the railway over the Truyere gorge, and it uses the same principle as his earlier Maria Pia bridge in Portugal: a single crescent arch of one hundred and sixty-five metres span carrying the deck about one hundred and twenty-two metres above the original river level. It was the highest railway bridge in the world when built. Painted red, it stands out sharply against the gorge and the water, which is now a reservoir behind the Grandval dam and higher than the river Eiffel bridged. Trains still cross it, and boat trips run beneath.

History

By the late 1870s Eiffel and Cie, the company Gustave Eiffel had founded with Théophile Seyrig, ranked among the leading French engineering firms, and having built the Maria Pia Bridge over the Douro at Porto in 1875-1877, it was given the viaduct over the Truyère on the new railway from Marvejols to Neussargues without the usual competitive tender, because the problems were so similar. The bridge was built between 1882 and 1884, with structural engineering by Maurice Koechlin, and opened in 1885: 565 metres long, with a main arch of 165 metres span (Wikipedia, Garabit viaduct).

Highlights

• The crescent arch - a 165-metre iron span across the gorge.
• The red paintwork - the structure standing out against water and rock.
• The crossing trains - the line still in use over the deck.
• The boat trips - views up at the arch from the reservoir.

When to go

May to October; boat trips on the reservoir run in season. Late afternoon light on the red iron is best from the roadside viewpoints. Winter is bleak at this altitude.

Good to know

The viaduct cannot be walked and there is no visitor centre; you look at it from viewpoints or the water. Rail traffic on the line is sparse, so seeing a train cross needs timing or luck.

Nearby

Saint-Flour lies north-west; Chaudes-Aigues is south.

Key facts