After crossing central Rouen and the main station Rouen-Rive-Droite, it climbs in northwestern direction onto the Pays de Caux plateau.

To this end the Paris and Rouen Railway Company was established, and Joseph Locke was appointed as its engineer.

Thomas Brassey and William MacKenzie, two British contractors, jointly tendered an offer, which was accepted in 1841.

)[3] In January 1846, during construction of the 58-mile (93 km) long Rouen and Le Havre line, one of the few major structural disasters of Brassey's contracting career occurred, the collapse of the Barentin Viaduct.

[7] The first 8 km of the railway, until La Garenne-Colombes, are shared with the line to Le Pecq that was opened in 1837 and extended to Saint-Germain-en-Laye in 1847.

A mystery suspect 'travelled from Paris to Goderville on the slow train to Le Harve, a journey which nobody makes.'