About this journey

Aigle station sits at 415 m above sea level on the east edge of the Rhône valley, where the flat vineyard plain meets the first ridges of the Swiss Alps. From here, the metre-gauge Aigle–Sépey–Diablerets line — one of four railways that merged in 1975 to form Transports Publics du Chablais (TPC) — begins its sustained climb into the Vaudois mountains.

The line's origins reach back to a concession approved on 24 October 1898, though construction did not begin until 1913. The section from Aigle to Le Sépey opened on 22 December 1913, followed by the upper section to Les Diablerets on 7 July 1914. Electrified at 1,500 V d.c. from the outset, the 22.33 km route ascends 753 m over its full length. On the night of 26 June 1940, a depot fire destroyed three electric railcars and four passenger cars, briefly threatening the railway's future, yet the line survived.

The journey ends at Les Diablerets station at 1,157 m, serving the village that lies on the north side of the Diablerets massif, which rises to 3,210 m. The contrast between the sun-warmed valley floor at Aigle and the alpine setting of the terminus encapsulates what the line has offered travellers since its opening year.