A major rockslide occurred in the Maurienne valley, causing major disruptions in transport. This Monday, rail traffic between France and Italy is completely interrupted and difficulties on the road are to be expected, according to the official information available.
The SNCF specifies that the closure will last until Wednesday inclusive at a minimum. Sunday around 5:15 p.m., “several blocks of rock representing a volume of around 700 m3” struck the protective screen installed on the RD 1006, in a “particularly monitored sector”, explained the prefecture of Savoie in a press release.
TERs in the area interrupted
This landslide caused the interruption of train traffic between France and Italy, on the Chambéry-Turin line, as well as TER in the Maurienne valley, said the SNCF.
Transport Minister Clément Beaune warned that a return to normal “will require several days”. “After the massive landslide that occurred yesterday in #Maurienne, our public services are mobilized to restore road and rail traffic as quickly as possible. Absolute priority for the safety of all, ”wrote the minister on X (formerly Twitter).
The Fréjus tunnel closed for heavy vehicles
For TER trains, the terminus is now at Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne, and for TER coaches, the last stop is Saint-Michel-Valloire. On the road side, the RD 1006 was closed to all traffic at the level of the landslide, between the intersection RD 1006/RD 215 and the Freney interchange.
The Maurienne motorway, A43, was also closed between ramps 29 and 30 in both directions of traffic (St-Michel-de-Maurienne and Le Freney) for an indefinite period, “time to clear the debris that are deposited on the highway following this landslide”. The Fréjus road tunnel is also closed to traffic for all vehicles over 3.5 tonnes in both directions, France-Italy and Italy-France. “Heavy goods vehicles and coaches are therefore invited to pass through the Mont-Blanc tunnel or the A8 motorway”, notes the prefecture.