September 9, 2020

Abandoned train tracks in Annecy & Tunnel de la Puya

The railway line from Annecy to Albertville started operating in 1901 and closed to passenger traffic in 1938. Freight traffic kept running until 1964 when it shut down for good. In 1975, parts of the line on the west side of Lake Annecy were converted into a bike path: The Voie Verte du Lac d’Annecy. More of the line (until Ugine, near Albertville) was converted later in 2005. However, some of the rails in Annecy, west of the train station until a bit before Tunnel de la Puya (under the Semnoz), still remain. There is also a section of abandoned tracks in the Zone Industrielle de Vovray that used to be connected to the old Annecy-Albertville line.

I walked alongside those train tracks last fall: First, I walked from the train station to the ends of the train tracks in Vovray. Some parts were fenced off so I had to walk around. Some other time, I went back to the place where the line branched off towards Albertville and followed its course until Tunnel de la Puya, which was walled off. I walked on the Semnoz to get to the other side, in Sevrier. The exit of the tunnel was still open. I walked a little in the tunnel from there, but it was pretty dark so I didn’t go very far.

Here is map of the path I walked (download KML):

In red, the path I walked. In blue, the train tracks (or their former course).

Above, Annecy train station.

Above, view of the station from a bridge.

Above, branching of the train tracks from the train station. The track to Albertville and Vovray is fenced off. The other track goes to Aix-les-Bains.

Above, abandoned train track. The fence is open there and also on the other side so it can be walked on. I wasn’t sure so I actually went around to check then walked back.

Above, bridge on the Thiou river. It can be seen when walking the Promenade du Thiou.

Above, Thiou.

Above, the bridge seen from Promenade du Thiou.

Above, there is a small path to get to the bridge from the Promenade.

Above, another level crossing.

Above, I kept walking along the track.

Above, that part had very outgrown vegetation.

Above, the vegetation blocked the path so I went around.

Above, shared gardens.

Above, on the other side, at another level crossing.

Above, other section. I also went around.

Above, near the municipal greenhouse.

Above, here the rails have been cut off.

Above, some isolated section of rails.

Above, this is where the track to Vovray branched off from the main line to Albertville. The rails towards Albertville have been removed though. I followed the track to Vovray.

Above, the barrier and red light for the level crossing still remain.

Above, fence.

Above, abandoned building.

Above, I started walking towards the tracks in the middle of the lot, but I heard some screams coming from that direction so I backed off. The area is not very reputable… The train tracks branch again near there.

Update 2021: I went back in the area to visit the temporary installation La Friche des Rails, part of the Annecy Paysages festival taking place this summer. It was next to those tracks and this time, I visited the rails. Here are a few photos:

Above, multiple train tracks in the middle of the lot.

Above, the track on the left goes towards the Dépôt Pétrolier (fuel storage depot), and the one I am on, to the Trigenium factory.

Above, towards the Trigenium factory.

Above, towards the fuel depot. The vegetation was a bit wild on that part so I didn’t go further.

Above, switch.

Above, La Friche des Rails. It is located on a derelict parking lot next to the tracks. The whole area (Trois Fontaines) is slated for redevelopment in the near future.

Back to the original walk…

Above, another section near a level crossing.

Above, fenced off again.

Above, I walked to the end of a first branch, at the Trigenium factory.

Above, end of the line.

Above, derelict equipment.

Above, I then walked to the end of the second branch, near the Annecy oil terminal (Groupement Pétrolier de Haute Savoie).

Above, oil tanks.

Above, final level crossing.

Above, end of the line.

Above, after that, I walked up to take the bus in Seynod.

Below, some other time, I went back to the branching and followed the former course of the train tracks to Albertville. The rails have been removed though.

Above, a bridge remains.

Above, entrance of Tunnel de la Puya, built for the railway below the Semnoz, on the Annecy side. It is now located at the back of a parking lot for a residence.