Yellow Line (Southern Indian Ocean Islands)
| Yellow Line or Molloy Shuttle Ligne Jaune ou Train-navette-Molloy | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Status | operating | ||
| Owner | East Kerguelen and West Kerguelen | ||
| Locale | La Capitale, Commune de Molloy (East Kerguelen) | ||
| Termini |
| ||
| Stations | 2 | ||
| Service | |||
| Type | Shuttle | ||
| System | Kerguelen rail network | ||
| Operator(s) | Trains Kergues | ||
| History | |||
| Opened | 1995 | ||
| Technical | |||
| Line length | 13.7 km (8.5 miles) | ||
| Track length | |||
| Minimum radius | |||
| Operating speed | 90 kph | ||
| Highest elevation | |||
| Route layout | |||
| |||
The Yellow Line, also known as the Molloy Shuttle (French: Ligne Jaune or Train-navette-Molloy) is a shuttle train of the Kerguelen rail network between the Gare de Port-aux-Français and the Gare de Molloy.
History
The line was opened in 1995 together with the rest of the Kerguelen rail network and replaced the Molloy - Port-aux-Français express bus which previously provided transportation between the two places. It was the first of the seven rail lines to be opened, with its inauguration five days before the second rail line auguration, that of the Red Line.
Route and connections
With its 13.6 km of track length, the Yellow Line is by far the shortest train line of the Kerguelen rail network.
Trains depart southwards from Gare de Port-aux-Français and immediately turn towards the west, staying approximately 800 m off the coastline. The first four kilometres go through the outskirts of Port-aux-Français, then the following 2.3 kilometres are shared with the Blue Line before the Blue Line branches off towards the north, whilst the Yellow Line continues towards the west. After 3.5 km the rails turn towards the south, and after 1.9 km they enter the town of Molloy. After running through the town for another 1.3 km the trains terminate at Gare de Molloy.
The rail line is noteworthy for the fact that there are no level crossings along its entire length. It is single-track along its entire length.
At Gare de Port-aux-Français people can change for the Blue Line in the direction of Port-Couvreux and Port-Christmas, and the Red Line in the directions Port-du-Cap-Digby via Kerguelen Airport, or Port-du-Prince-des-Galles. At Gare de Molloy, passengers can change for the Traversier Des Îles towards Port-Blaute, Port-du-Cimitière, Port-Australie and Port-Bizet.
Rolling stock and services
Rolling stock
The rolling stock for the Yellow Line consists of two Stadler GTW railcars. These have been painted yellow for the purpose of recognisability. Only one railcar is ever at use at a time. The railcars are named De Zeeuwsche Nachtegaal after Albert Tasman's ship, and Yves-Joseph, after Yves-Joseph de Kerguelen-Trémarec, discoverer of the Kerguelen Archipelago.
Services
Trains take ten minutes to complete the route and depart every half hour between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. on weekdays, and once every hour between 6 a.m.-8 a.m. and 9 p.m.-1 a.m. on weekdays, and once every two hours on Sunday.
The shuttle leaves from Gare de Port-aux-Français every morning at 6 a.m. and arrives at Molloy at 6.11 a.m. It then departs from Molloy at 6.30 a.m. and arrives at Port-aux-Français at 6.41 a.m. This shuttling continues until 8 a.m., when the train leaves Port-aux-Français for Molloy, where it arrives at 8.11 a.m. and leaves again at 8.15 a.m. to arrive at Port-aux-Français at 8.26 a.m. and to leave for Molloy again at 8.30 a.m. This shuttle system continues throughout the day until 9 p.m., before returning to the morning routine after 9 p.m. The last train of the day leaves Molloy at 00.30 from Molloy and arrives in Port-aux-Français at 00.41.
On Sundays trains leave once every two hours from each station. This means that the first train leaves Port-aux-Français at 6 a.m. and arrives at Molloy at 6.11 a.m. It then leaves from Molloy at 7 a.m. and arrives at Port-aux-Français at 7.11 a.m. This continues throughout the day. The last train leaves Molloy at 1 a.m. and arrives at Port-aux-Français at 1.11 a.m.
Fares
A single ticket Molloy - Port-aux-Français costs fr. 3, a retour ticket costs fr. 5. Children between 4 and 16 and people aged 65+ get a 70% discount; children under the age of 4 and students can travel for free.
It is possible to buy a billet des cinquante retours, which can be used for a total of fifty retour trips with the Yellow Line and costs fr. 200, thus saving fr. 1 per trip.