Tunnel Bouillon

At the end of the 19th century, Bouillon had a major project: to connect the station of Poix-Saint-Hubert by a local railway with Sedan and Pussemange , passing Maissin, Paliseul and Menuchenet, Bouillon and Corbion. To do this, one has to cross the Semois and dig a tunnel under the castle and then follow the road from Corbion in the direction of France. A new bridge has to be built for this, because the existing "Pont de Liège" is unusable because of the difference in height. A new bridge is therefore built closer to France and hence the name " Pont de la porte de France ".

The 90m long bore was completed on June 27, 1896. The foundation stone was laid on May 28, 1897. Only thirteen years later , on September 11, 1910, the tunnel was inaugurated with pomp. The railway became known as « Le Bouillonnais ». It facilitated the cross-border exchanges otherwise performed by a stagecoach . The three municipalities financed the construction. Their names are chiseled above the entrance to the tunnel .

However, in Bouillon there is another disused tunnel which is closed on one side. This tunnel was located near the former tram station on line 510 of the Local Railways of the Province of Luxembourg Poix – Libin – Villance – Anloy – Maissin – Opont – Framont – Paliseul – Nollevaux – Bellevaux – Bouillon – Corbion – Sugny – Pussemange. The line ran through France between Corbion and Sugny. From Corbion, the CFDA (Chemins de fer départementaux des Ardennes) line ran to Sedan. Opening date Paliseul-Bouillon 1890, Bouillon-Corbion 1907. Found where the rue de laitte becomes the rue des champs. Closing date of Paliseul-Bouillon-Pussemagne for travelers 1955, for goods 1960... With a good map around Bouillon, a lot of this multi-track line can still be found, including the station and a separate section of about 5 kilometers through the forest which is now a lovely walking path.

Willem Vandenameele