History
A royal ordnance dated 10 September 1845 granted exploitation of the railway from Paris to Lille and Valenciennes, branch lines to Dunkirk and Calais and two new lines Creil - Saint-Quentin and Fampoux - Hazebrouck to the CF du Nord. From the Gare du Nord station the company built in Paris, the Paris–Lille railway line led north towards Belgium, first connecting in 1846 to Amiens, Douai and Lille, with a branch line from Douai to Valenciennes. Lille and Valenciennes had already been connected to the Belgian railway network in 1842. The new line made it possible to travel by train from Paris to Brussels and further.
In the following years, the network was rapidly expanded:
| Railway line | Opened |
|---|---|
| Paris–Lille railway | 1846–1859 |
| Douai–Valenciennes railway | 1846 |
| Longueau–Boulogne railway | 1847–1848 |
| Creil–Jeumont railway | 1847–1855 |
| Lille–Fontinettes railway | 1848–1849 |
| Arras–Dunkirk railway | 1848–1862 |
| Amiens–Laon railway | 1857–1867 |
| Creil–Beauvais railway | 1857 |
| Hautmont–Mons railway | 1858 |
| Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme | 1858 |
| Busigny–Somain railway | 1858 |
| Paris–Hirson railway | 1860–1871 |
| Lens–Ostricourt railway | 1860 |
| Chantilly–Crépy-en-Valois railway | 1862–1870 |
| Lille–Tournai railway | 1865 |
| Boulogne–Calais railway | 1867 |
| Rouen–Amiens railway | 1867 |
- This transport-related list is incomplete; you can help by expanding it.
Read more about this topic: Chemin De Fer Du Nord
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