Actually the real railway puts up a huge amount of freight traffic, even this traffic is slightly handicaped by the growing competition with road transportation and, over all, by the fact that the spanish gauge is wider than the european standard. Due to this restriction, goods have to be transferred from a wagon to an other in specialized yards. Some type of wagons (Transfesa, and Talgo for passengers coaches) can have their axles modified to a different gauge
But the passenger traffic is considerable too, especially in summer. Perpignan is the terminus of regular TGVs from Paris, Lille, Bruxelles and Marseilles, and for international trains from Belgium, Germany and Swiss. But some international trains have their own terminus in Cerbère or Port Bou. Notice there are regular Talgo trains from Barcelona to Montpellier (some years ago several red Talgo 3 run up to Genève or Marseilles)
The TS route starts from Perpignan, county town of the french Catalunya. Notice that the present TS station is not the truly copy of the real one, but Thiery Vaillant will reproduce the right building in his coming version 3.0 and will improve this place which is the oldest of the add-on.
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Just after this station, starts a branch to Villefranche de Conflent (where is the connexion with the Canary route). This branch will appear too in version 3.0. Presently the branch ends 2 kms after the main line junction, in marché St Charles sidings. St Charles is one of the largest whole sale market for fruit and vegetables in France, all Perpignan area being well known for its early production. Just outside Perpignan, the main line follows the Marolles yards
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Twelve kilometers after Perpignan, the main line reaches Elne, an important freight station for early fruits, and where starts le Boulou branch. This one track line has an increasing traffic, as there is an important connexion platform (Le Boulou-Perthus) with the motorway to Spain. After Elne, the line crosses the Tech river on a single track bridge and arrives in Argeles a very busy seaside resort.
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Nearby is Port Vendres which has a commercial harbour, served by a small railway branch.
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Now we arrive in the most picturesque part of the route. From Port Vendres the landscape turns progressively into a more montainous since the Pyrénées (Albères range) come closer. The sea is also very close to the line, the ground becomes more bare while the rocks along the coast take a bright red color.
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At least the route reaches Cerbère the last french station. Like its twin sister, Port Bou in Spain, the station is devoted to be a platform for connexion between the large RENFE gauge with standard gauge. The two ressorts are harmed by the poor space left by the neighbouring mountains and the settlement has to be enlarged by digging the mountains.
Both stations have tracks of the two different gauge and there are even short sections with 4 lanes. The two station distant from 1,5 kms are joined by the Balitres tunnel. In this gallery there is just a RENFE track and a SNCF track. A nightmare for dispatchers !
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Many thanks to Thierry Vaillant who is presently working on his version 3.0, coming very soon
Emmanuel
). But in fact he put aside this project some months ago to realize an imaginary route : Breizh (Britanny iin gaelic). I posted a topic on the MSTS for Europe section