''Le Capitole'' (alternatively written ''Capitole'') was an

express train An express train is a type of passenger train that makes a small number of stops between its origin and destination stations, usually major destinations, allowing faster service than local trains that stop at most or all of the stations alo ...

between

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), ma ...

and

Toulouse Toulouse ( , ; oc, Tolosa ) is the prefecture of the French department of Haute-Garonne and of the larger region of Occitania. The city is on the banks of the River Garonne, from the Mediterranean Sea, from the Atlantic Ocean and from Pa ...

in France. Introduced in 1960, it was operated by the ''Société Nationale des Chemins de fer français'' ("French National Railway Corporation") ( SNCF). It was also the SNCF’s first foray into high-speed commercial service above . The train was named after the

Capitole de Toulouse 300px, The Capitole back side The Capitole de Toulouse ( oc, Capitòli de Tolosa, link=no; ), commonly known as the ''Capitole'', is the heart of the municipal administration of the French city of Toulouse and its city hall. __NOTOC__ His ...

, a mainly 18th century building in Toulouse that houses the Hôtel de Ville, the Théâtre du Capitole (opera house), and the Donjon du Capitole (16th century).

Route

The route of ''Le Capitole'' was from Paris via the Paris–Bordeaux railway as far as

Orléans Orléans (;"Orleans"
(US) and Orléans–Montauban railway to

Montauban Montauban (, ; oc, Montalban ) is a commune in the Tarn-et-Garonne department, region of Occitania, Southern France. It is the capital of the department and lies north of Toulouse. Montauban is the most populated town in Tarn-et-Garonne, ...

, and the Bordeaux–Sète railway to Toulouse. The train had the following stops: * Paris-Austerlitz – Limoges-Bénédictins – Brive-la-Gaillarde – – Montauban-Ville-Bourbon – Toulouse-Matabiau

History

''Le Capitole'' began its existence as an evening first-class-only ''Rapide'' (

) between Paris-Gare d'Austerlitz and Toulouse-Matabiau, departing in the late afternoon in both directions. In 1967, it became the first European train to be scheduled to run at . In autumn 1968, a second train carrying the same name was added, operating in the morning in both directions on the route. In 1970, ''Le Capitole'' was integrated into the

Trans Europ Express The Trans Europ Express, or Trans-Europe Express (TEE), was an international first-class railway service in western and central Europe that was founded in 1957 and ceased in 1995. At the height of its operations, in 1974, the TEE network compri ...

(TEE) system. The morning TEE departed from both Paris and Toulouse at 7:45 a.m. and operated daily except Sundays. The other departed in the late afternoon and ran seven days a week.'' Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' (March 29–April 25, 1974 edition), pp. 69–70, 132–133. Peterborough, UK: Thomas Cook Publishing. Both trains were TEEs and both were normally called simply ''Le Capitole'', although the morning train was sometimes referred to informally as "''Le Capitole'' (du matin)" (the "morning ''Capitole''"). Each train included a 48-seat restaurant car operated by the Wagon-Lits Company. Ex-TEE cars in Rapide Le Capitole, Limoges (1988)

Ex-TEE cars in Rapide Le Capitole, Limoges (1988)

In 1982, the southbound morning train and northbound evening train were downgraded to a two-class ''Rapide'', while the northbound morning train and southbound evening train remained a first-class-only Trans Europ Express. All four trains were still called ''Le Capitole''. Also, the remaining TEE service now operated only six days a week: daily except Saturdays northbound and daily except Sundays southbound.'' Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'', various issues, 1982–84. Thomas Cook Publishing. In 1984, the remaining TEE trains on the route were downgraded to two-class ''Rapide''. The two morning trains (74/75) became ''Le Capitole du Matin'', and the two evening trains (76/77) became ''Le Capitole du Soir'' (the "evening ''Capitole''"). ''Le Capitole'' was discontinued in 1991, one year after the introduction of through TGV service between Paris and Toulouse via

Bordeaux Bordeaux ( , ; Gascon oc, Bordèu ; eu, Bordele; it, Bordò; es, Burdeos) is a port city on the river Garonne in the Gironde department, Southwestern France. It is the capital of the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region, as well as the prefect ...

, a portion of which followed a higher-speed line. The TGV route was longer, at 827 km compared with ''Le Capitole'' 713 km route (via Limoges), but had a travel time that was one hour shorter: 5 hours, 10–13 minutes (depending on direction), compared with 6 hours, 2–20 minutes, on the more direct route.''

Thomas Cook European Timetable The ''European Rail Timetable'', more commonly known by its former names, the ''Thomas Cook European Timetable'', the ''Thomas Cook Continental Timetable'' or simply ''Cook's Timetable'', is an international timetable of selected passenger rai ...

'' (April 1991 edition), pp. 75, 119, 124.

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links