The installations of the Corsican network

Bastia's central train station

It is the most important station in the network. It contains the workshops and depots for locomotives and railcars. It is in this centre that has carried out, since the birth of the network, all the major repair and maintenance work on the rolling stock. Over the years, the layout of the tracks has been modified. We give the plan of it at the time of 1937 (apogee of the network). At present, this station has undergone a profound modification, with the workshops being transferred to Casamozza and the "passenger" building moved to the site of the old coach houses.

The connection to the port, initially branched on the original side of the station, had been given an additional direct track on the tunnel side, thus forming a vast American triangle allowing the turning of the long railcars on the one hand, and direct access to the port for trains coming from Ajaccio on the other.

At the present time, this connection has been removed and the majority of the workshop buildings have been destroyed, as well as the old goods hall and the B.V. The latter, after having undergone a temporary solution, has once again been built jointly with the offices of the Local Directorate, whose old building has also been demolished to enable the new Prefecture of Bastia to be set up.

A new goods hall was built and only the railcar workshops were retained for routine maintenance of the equipment.

A three-lane bundle at the platform was created for passenger service, as well as a set of sidings for freight vehicles.

The new Casamozza workshops

Due to the suppression in Bastia of the main workshops, it was necessary to plan their reconstruction in another site. The only available land, nearby being located in Casamozza, these were built on the site of the old garage bundle, which had been profoundly modified for the circumstance. Two modern metal buildings house tools adapted for the most important works in a lifting workshop and a wagon workshop. In these, all G.R.G. and repair work is carried out without difficulty. The only disadvantage is the distance from Bastia's central railway station.

Ajaccio station

Terminal station of the central line, the B.V. is located in front of the flights of the passenger trains, three of which in Impasse are served by two platforms. Three tracks are also provided for freight service, one of which serves the open platform and the freight hall separate from the B.V. An overflow track in Impasse completes the P.V. bundle. A machine shed served by three tracks, one of which is accessible at both ends and has a spike pit, forms the bundle reserved for traction. A coal yard and a water tower complete the whole.

At present, only one track remains for the railcar garage and maintenance, as the depot has been abolished in favour of a maintenance post for routine repairs that do not justify the immobilisation of a large number of staff.

Calvi station

As the terminus station of the Balagne line, it was planned as a transit station, in view of the extension to Ajaccio. As a result, the B.V. is located as in a normal station. Initially, the platforms were staggered, so that the I track forms a drawer for the operation of the locomotive. Since a few years track 2 has been : extended, and a third track laid for the railcar garage. A dead end track serves the freight hall and the open platform. On this same track, the three-track locomotive rotunda, equipped with a swivel bridge, branched off. Along this track the fuel park was built.

Branch stations

Two of these stations, once very important, have now lost much of their activity. We will describe them in their original form.

Casamozza station

Served by three passenger tracks at the platform, it was also equipped with a freight track branching off at both ends onto the main track. It ended with a dead end serving the P.V. hall.

In addition, a bundle of siding tracks, four in number, allowed for the storage of unused P.V. cars. It is on this site that the new workshops are currently being built.

The bifurcation, by itself, was on the Ajaccio side, by means of a diagonal connecting the two roads placed side by side. The lane reserved for the destination of Bastia (lane I) was common to both branches. This junction allowed the routing of direct trains without turning back in the directions of Porto-Vecchio and Ajaccio.

Ponte-Leccia train station

In the same general layout as Casamozza Station, from the point of view of passenger and freight facilities, this station includes instead of the siding bundle, a diagonal siding and a track serving a two-track locomotive shed , as well as a dead end with a swing bridge. A water tower and a fuel park complete this installation. A double diagonal has been installed for the Calvi junction, which allows direct trains to be routed without turning back in the directions of Calvi and Bastia from Ajaccio. However, the direct trains Bastia - Calvi must turn back.

In addition, an additional dead-end track exists on the Bastia side to serve as an overflow track.

Corte train station

The only other very important station of the network, having often been employed as the head end of the section trains, and therefore having a traction plant, it deserves a detailed description.

Also served by three tracks on the platform for passengers, this station has two PVC tracks, one of which serves the hall, and a third serving as an overflow, these three tracks being at an impasse.

Three sidings, branching off at both ends onto the main track, enclose a coal yard, a three-track workshop and a two-track locomotive shed. A double water tower provided the water supply for three hydraulic cranes.

Miscellaneous equipment

There were two peculiarities on the Corsican network which were also found on the Vivarais network, it was the multiplicity of water supply points on the one hand and that of buffets for the use of passengers on the other hand. This equipment, of course, is a consequence of the tormented profile of the line and its length. As this length generates quite long journey times, it is not surprising to see the network marked out with buffets designed to allow passengers to eat during the journey, during connections and during station manoeuvring times.

List of water supply points :

• Central line: Bastia, Casamozza, Ponte-Leccia, Soveria, Corte, Venaco, Vivario, Tattone, Vizzavona, Bocognano, Ucciani, Mezzana and Ajaccio.
• East coast line: Prunete-Cervione, Aleria, Ghisonaccia, Solenzara, Saint Lucia and Porto-Vecchio.
• Balagne line: Palasca, Le Régino and Calvi.

List of buffets :

There are seven of them: Bastia, Casamozza, Ponte-Leccia, Corte, Vivario, Bocognano and Ajaccio, all of which are spread out along the central line.

source : MTVS 1984-4