Chemins de fer du Midi

The company was established by the Pereire brothers, who thus broke the virtual monopoly held in France by James Rothschild on the slow-paced railway projects taking place in the area of Paris during the 1840s and 1850s.

[2][4] In 1909, the Compagnie du Midi launched a vast program of electrification of its lines under the impetus of the engineer Jean-Raoul Paul (1869-1960).

After investigations in Switzerland and Germany, a system using alternating current (AC) at 12 kV and 16⅔ Hz was chosen for economic reasons.

The Perpignan - Villefranche-de-Conflent line (Pyrénées-Orientales) was chosen as the site for future tests because it provided conditions of both plain and mountain.

Electric traction was chosen from the outset, reducing construction costs by allowing steeper gradients and sharper curves.

The reaction of the Midi was immediate and the company launched, in December 1920, new electrification programmes at 1500 V. From 1923, all facilities operated at 1500 V, except the Perpignan - Villefranche-de -Conflent line.