The Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine railway (French: Ligne de Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet à Vallorcine), also known as the Saint-Gervais–Vallorcine Line, is a single-track long metre gauge railway in France connecting the SNCF's Saint-Gervais-les-Bains-Le Fayet station with Vallorcine station and the border with Switzerland (Le Châtelard) through Chamonix. Opened in stages between 1901 and 1908 by the Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM), it is part of the main SNCF network as far as Vallorcine. To Le Châtelard () is run by the Swiss company Transports de Martigny et Régions (TMR), which also operates the Martigny–Châtelard Railway. History 1886: Granting of the concession for the Cluses–Chamonix line to the PLM (first concession for a general interest electric line in France) 3 July 1893: Authorisation for the PLM to build the Saint-Gervais to Chamonix section as metre gauge June 1899: Start of works on the first section 25 July 1901: Opening to Chamonix, 19 km or 11.8 mi (official opening on 12 July) 25 July 1906: Extension to Argentière 1 November 1907: Boring of the Col des Montets tunnel 1 July 1908: Junction with the Martigny–Châtelard Railway 1958: Introduction of Z 600 EMUs 1997: Introduction of Z 800 EMUs 2006: Introduction of Z 850 EMUs; frequency increase between Argentière and Vallorcine 17 July 2009: Official opening of Chamonix-Aiguille-du-Midi station Geography Stations Chedde Servoz Vaudagne (request stop) Viaduc Sainte Marie (request stop) Les Houches Taconnaz (request stop) Les Bossons Les Pélerins Les Moussoux (request stop) Aiguille du Midi Chamonix Mont-Blanc Les Praz Les Tines La Joux (request stop) Argentière Montroc-le Planet Le Buet Connections At Saint-Gervais-les-Bains Le Fayet, with the standard gauge SNCF line from Aix-les-Bains via Annecy and La Roche-sur-Foron (including TGVs from Paris in the winter); and the Mont Blanc tramway (TMB) rack railway. At Chamonix, with the Montenvers Railway, a rack railway. In Switzerland, at Le Châtelard, with the Martigny-Châtelard rack railway, which continues to Martigny where it connects with the Lausanne–Brig line of the CFF. Technical information Track gauge: . Profile: uphill from the Saint-Gervais-Le Fayet (altitude: ) to the col des Montets tunnel (altitude ) then downhill to the border (altitude ). The steepest grade, between Servoz and les Houches is 9% over , a record for an adhesion railway. On the steepest sections (4% and more), it had a central rail for braking (and keeping trains immobile in case of electric black-outs), through jaws gripping