The Corsican train is quite an experience. It is nothing like a high-speed TGV, but it has its advantages: it crosses the centre of the island, from Bastia to Ajaccio, over viaducts and through tunnels that no road follows, and it spares you the mountain bends.
Islanders call it U Trinichellu, the little train. The network, metre-gauge and single-track, opened in sections between 1888 and 1894. It has some well-known structures: the Vecchio viaduct, about 170 m long, whose metal deck was built by Gustave Eiffel’s company, and the Vizzavona tunnel, the longest on the network at 3,916 m.
The two Chemins de fer de la Corse lines
The Chemins de fer de la Corse (CFC, the Corsican railways) network is 232 km long and forms a Y:
- the Bastia - Ajaccio line crosses the island via Casamozza, Ponte-Leccia, Corte, Vizzavona and Bocognano;
- the Ponte-Leccia - Calvi line reaches the Balagne via L’Île-Rousse.
To get to Calvi from Bastia or Ajaccio, you always change trains at Ponte-Leccia.
The main stations are Bastia, Casamozza, Ponte-Leccia, Corte, Vizzavona, Mezzana, Ajaccio, L’Île-Rousse and Calvi. Around fifty halts serve the villages in between.
How long does the journey take?
Times taken from the winter timetable, the only one published when we checked (2 November 2026 to 3 January 2027):
| Route | Time |
|---|---|
| Bastia - Ajaccio | 3 hr 45 to 3 hr 55 min |
| Ajaccio - Corte | about 2 hr |
| Corte - Ponte-Leccia | 35 to 40 min |
| Ponte-Leccia - Bastia | about 1 hr 10 min |
| Ponte-Leccia - Calvi | about 1 hr 55 min |
| Bastia - Calvi (with a change) | about 3 hr 10 min |
| Ajaccio - Calvi (with a change) | about 4 hr 45 min |
Between Bastia and Ajaccio, there are five trains each way from Monday to Friday, four on Saturdays and three on Sundays and public holidays. To Calvi, two trains a day in each direction. Timetables change every season: check the current timetable before you travel, on the Chemins de fer de la Corse website.
Suburban trains and the Balagne train
Three suburban services also run in winter:
- around Bastia, between Bastia and Casamozza, via Furiani, Biguglia and Lucciana: around twenty trains a day on weekdays, about 35 minutes end to end;
- around Ajaccio, between Ajaccio and Mezzana: around fifteen trains each way on weekdays, 17 to 22 minutes;
- in the Balagne, between Calvi and L’Île-Rousse: five trains a day on weekdays, two at weekends, about 40 minutes. The train runs along the coast and stops close to several beaches.
These services are less frequent at weekends. The summer timetables had not yet been published when we checked.
Tickets
A single ticket is valid for two days, a return for seven days. Seats cannot be reserved, except for groups of ten or more. Fares and options (including a multi-day pass) on the Chemins de fer de la Corse website.
Travelling with a bike or luggage
Bikes are carried only if dismantled and in a bag (120 × 90 cm maximum), with a supplement paid at the same time as the ticket. Some stations have a left-luggage office.
Why take the train
- To cross the island without driving: from Bastia to Ajaccio, the train takes barely longer than the car, and you watch the scenery instead of the road.
- For hiking: Vizzavona and Corte are trailheads, including for the GR20 at Vizzavona.
- For the beaches of the Balagne, without hunting for a parking space.
The train is no substitute for a car in the south of the island, which it does not serve. See our page getting around Corsica for coaches and other options.
Information
Official website, timetables and fares: cf-corse.corsica. CFC customer service: 04 95 32 80 57.
