history of rail transport in France

The history of rail transport in France dates from the first French railway in 1823 to present-day enterprises such as the AGV. Beginnings France was a sluggard in building railways, compared to Britain and Belgium, which had already demonstrated their worthiness by 1830. Urban land was expensive, as was iron and coal. A more serious obstacle was powerful political opposition, especially as mobilized by the Transport companies that use canals, roads, and rivers. They blocked the necessary railway charters in Parliament. Already in 1810, the French engineer Pierre Michel Moisson-Desroches proposed to build seven national railways from Paris, in order to travel "short distances within the Empire". However, nothing happened. Mining companies in 1828 opened the first railway to move coal from the fields around St. Etienne 11 miles from St. Etienne to the Loire River. Most of the work was done by horses, although steam locomotives were used for the last segment. Passenger service opened in 1835. Between 1828 and 1833, 57 km Saint-Étienne–Lyon railway was constructed. During the first few months of operation, horses were used to provide the tractive power on this line, then locomotives were used.