Between 1875 and 1877, the company had built the Maria Pia Bridge over the Douro at Porto, and when the construction of a railway between Marvejols and Neussargues, both in Cantal, was proposed, the work of constructing a viaduct to cross the Truyère was given to Eiffel without the usual process of competitive tendering.

That was at the recommendation of the state engineers since the technical problems involved were similar to those of the Maria Pia Bridge.

[1] The Garabit viaduct, which uses a parabolic arch to support a single rail line across the gorge,[3] opened in November 1885.

[8] The Garabit viaduct reopened the following month after a safety inspection, with a speed limit of 10 km/h (6.2 mph) for all traffic.

[10] In the film, the bridge is depicted as being unused and derelict for 30 or 40 years and is considered dangerous, to the extent that people living nearby moved away fearing it could collapse.