Viaduc de Senouard, Railway viaduct in Marvejols, France
The viaduc de Sénouard is a stone railway bridge that crosses the valley of the ruisseau de Sénouard, just outside Marvejols in the Lozère department. It follows a gentle curve and rests on nine semicircular arches built from cut limestone, spaced evenly along its full length.
The viaduct was built between 1879 and 1883 as part of the construction of the Béziers to Neussargues railway line, designed to open up the Massif Central. Engineer Léon Boyer led the work, and the line was officially opened for train traffic in 1887.
The viaduc de Sénouard is seen by people in the area as a tangible trace of the railway era that opened up this remote part of France. On clear days, you can still hear trains crossing the arches, a sound that connects the present to the working life of the bridge.
The viaduct is visible from paths and roads around Marvejols and is best reached on foot or by bike along the valley. Looking up from below, near the stream bed, gives the clearest sense of how high the arches actually rise.
The viaduct is one of four large stone bridges built along the same stretch of line between Marvejols and Garabit, all within a few years of each other. Its curved alignment, with a radius of around 350 meters, was not a stylistic choice but a technical response to the shape of the terrain below.
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