It was 35 miles long and it linked the town of Somain in the département du Nord with Halluin near the Belgian border, via Orchies and Tourcoing.
Instead, the current TER Hauts-de-France bus service is planned to be upgraded by 2026.
The line aimed to transport coal to support textile industries in the area.
Local municipalities had been consulted in June 1871, and a definitive route was published just over three years later on 12 January 1875.
The first section of the line to lose passenger trains was the stretch between Somain and Orchies, where services were withdrawn on 15 May 1939.