European Railroad Discussion > The third-rail electric way across the mountains (Part 2)

In this post, I’ll continue my coverage of the joint Swiss-French operation of the Mont-Blanc Express with a look at a change in the rolling stock, which has just begun.

Since 1997, the two operators have fielded a fleet of five units capable of running on both sides of the border, classified as Z800 in the French system.  Manufactured by the Swiss firm Stadler, they are equipped for both third-rail and catenary current collection and have cogwheels to engage the Strub rack section between Vernayaz and Salvan, Switzerland, which is ruled by a 20% gradient.

They are being replaced by seven two-car units also built by Stadler, with the first delivery taking place in April last year. These are classified as Z890 in the French system.  By the time of my visit on September 24-25, three were on site in Switzerland, with testing and commissioning in progress, which included testing for clearances within the tight loading gauge.

(1) I encountered one when returning from my first day out on the line, travelling from Martigny to Chamonix-Mont Blanc and back, when my train had to stop short of the usual spot at end of track at Martigny because new unit Z891 was waiting there.  It’s been wired for various measurements to be taken and has templates fixed along the roofline to test for clearances.

(2) The next day started with a ride out to Vernayaz, just 4 km to the west, where the  maintenance depot of Transports de Martigny et Régions is located, right beside the station, perfect for photography. This is also the spot where the rack and third-rail begins,  as seen in the second photo in Part 1.

A bonus during my time here was the appearance of Z892, which was out on a test run. In the seven new units, the north-facing car B is painted in the red-and-white livery of TMR, based on the colours of Switzerland's Valais province.

(3) While Z892 waited in the siding track, TMR Beh 4/8 set 72 was alongside during a deadhead movement.  Delivered in 2009 along with sister 71, it will not be replaced by the new trains, but I’m not aware of whether their duties will change.  The two are equipped to run in both Switzerland and France, but their French counterparts, SNCF 51 to 56, are confined to France because they lack cogwheels.



 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/26 00:54 by railsmith.

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(4) Z892 is still in the siding as SNCF set 2 appears on train R26212 (11:14 Martigny-Vallorcine).  It’s one of the five Z800 types whose days are numbered.  The change is being driven by increasingly stringent standards in Switzerland’s accessibility regulations, such as step-free access, which the new trains comply with.

In this shot, car A is visible.  In all seven sets, these are oriented to face southward and wear a blue-and-white livery for trains of the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes regional authority, which runs transport in that area of France.  TMR owns three sets and SNCF four.

The two types of units used in Mont-Blanc Express service as of 2025 were all dressed in a predominantly red livery whether Swiss- or French-owned (TMR owns four older units, SNCF nine).

(5)  Car A in profile.

(6)  With Z892 taking a long break between test runs, I had time for some detail shots. This one of a four-axle outer truck shows a magnetic track brake and the current collector shoe, in red.  In the Swiss system, these sets are classified as Beh 4/8 (B = second-class seating, e = electric powered, h = rack equipped, 4/8 = four axles out of eight are powered). 

There’s one shoe on each side of all four trucks. The outer trucks on each car are powered, the inner trucks are equipped with cogwheels.

 

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(7)  The Swiss face of Z892.

(8)  The French face. The shade of blue is specific to the regional operator. For this photo, taken at the same location on the grounds of a tourist attraction (Gorges du Trient), I have simply swivelled to shoot the rear of the train, which has almost reached Vernayaz station.

(9)  No matter the livery, both cars in a set display the Mont-Blanc Express branding in red and blue lettering.

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/26 00:42 by railsmith.

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(10) During my session at Vernayaz, TMR BDeh 4/8 set 21 arrived with train R26214 (12:14 Martigny-Vallorcine). The sands of time are running out for the 1997-built set, while TMR 72 at right will live on.

(11) An interior view of a car in TMR 21. Features include roofline windows and opening side windows, a boon to photography from the train. Unfortunately, the new Z890 trains have neither of these features.

(12) The 2009 sets like TMR 72 seen here are three-car units, with a two-truck centre car that supports the two outer sections, which only have a two-axle truck at the far end. The centre cars have roofline windows, but their side windows do not open.
 

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(13) Representing the future, Z892 points toward a mural depicting the evolution of rolling stock on the Martigny-Châtelard railway, as the Swiss section of the line was known until 2001. How long before it is worthy of a mural?

(14 and 15) A range of rolling stock from the earliest days is portrayed in the mural. The two units on the right of photo 15, BDeh 4/4 No. 6 (built 1964) and BDeh 4/4 No. 501 (built 1979), were still present that day at Vernayaz.
 

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(16)  Single-car BDeh 4/4 No. 501 was being  jockeyed around the yard, enabling this close-up view before being put away in the shed.  It has a cab at each end and could be paired with an unpowered coach.

(17) Z893 and Z892 were back in the shed before resuming testing.

(18)  In a scene that will become the new norm, Z891 at left has joined the party while Z892 rests in the siding track.

The three Swiss-owned sets went into service on June 22, but only on the Martigny-Vallorcine section operated by TMR. They’ve been given the names Le Rhône, Le Trient and Le Triège, the first two for rivers of the region served by the train.  As seen in a pre-launch video, Le Triège is the name given to Z895, so perhaps the other Swiss ones are Z896 and Z897, which would mean the three I saw last September are French-owned.

The four French sets are expected to enter service on September 21, according to a French TV report.

During my research for these posts, I discovered an informative railfan-produced website devoted to the Mont-Blanc express route, which provides a section-by-section photo essay on the whole line, starting from the St. Gervais end and covering more than 30 years of operation.  You’ll see trains at many locations along the line, with a good descriptions of the changes to the infrastructure and operations over the years. In the sections on the Swiss part of the route, the accompanying gradient profile shows which sections have been converted to overhead power supply.  https://en.train-mont-blanc.fr/overview/

 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/08/26 00:54 by railsmith.

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Thanks again for all the pictures and information.  Gerry

Great coverage of this operation, and superb photos. Chris uk.

55002 Wrote:
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> Great coverage of this operation, and superb
> photos.

Agreed, love these posts...

JG

Love the Swiss phots, thanks for posting.