The line soon crosses the River Dordogne and follows the valley for a short while before it opens out into flat land.

The main stations on the Brive - Toulouse railway are: The first section that was opened in 1858 led from Lexos to Capdenac.

[2] Before the opening of this line in 1864, trains between Paris and Toulouse would travel via Tours and Bordeaux.

The line remained the main link between Paris and Toulouse until 1891 when the Brive–Cahors section of the Orléans–Montauban railway was opened.

[citation needed] In 2010 a complete renewal of all the ballast between Capdenac and Tessonnières (95 km) took place.