“A street named after a…” – you might say, looking at the plaque beside a quiet road in the heart of Marines. But what you see now is not the street you’d imagine, it’s a remnant of the past. You’re standing on the Ancienne Ligne de Valmondois à Marines, a stretch of quiet road in Paris.
This road is what remains of an abandoned railway line. The original line ran for 22 km stretching from Valmondois to Marines. It was built in the 19th century, part of a larger plan to improve transportation in the region. In the early days, trains carried locals and tourists alike. The rolling hills of the countryside near Marines would have certainly drawn many visitors.
The railway was built to help move agricultural goods and people from the rural Vexin region to larger cities along the Seine. But as the 20th century progressed, the line fell into disuse. Cars overtook rail as the primary mode of transportation. It was especially challenging for the smaller, less popular railways to keep pace.
The last train to use this line ran in 1949. The tracks were removed in 1953, but you can still see the right-of-way that used to be a railway platform. Now, the Ancienne Ligne de Valmondois à Marines serves as a reminder of a time when trains were the dominant way to travel through the region. It is a place where silence reigns, except for the birds chirping in the trees above and the distant hum of traffic from the town streets.