Private company

Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée

Logo: Riad Salih, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3

French railway company (1857–1937)

The Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (French pronunciation: lit. 'Railway Company of Paris to Lyon and the Mediterranean'), also known as the Chemins de fer Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée or simply PLM, established in 1857, was one of France’s main railway companies until the nationalization of all French railways and establishment of the Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) on 1 January 1938.2 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0

Last updated Oct 20, 2026.

Overview

1857Founded1
  • Industryrail transport1
  • HeadquartersParis1

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Affiche PLM Schefer
Photo: Émile André Schefer, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons5

The Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (French pronunciation: [kɔ̃paɲi de ʃəmɛ̃ də fɛʁ də paʁi a ljɔ̃ e a la meditɛʁane], lit. 'Railway Company of Paris to Lyon and the Mediterranean'), also known as the Chemins de fer Paris-Lyon-Méditerranée or simply PLM, established in 1857, was one of France’s main railway companies until the nationalization of all French railways and establishment of the Société nationale des chemins de fer français (SNCF) on 1 January 1938.2

Corporate structure

Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée sits at the top of its group. 2 entities, 1 country on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.

  • Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée Paris

Built from subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0); major holders from Schedules 13D and 13G. Each entity in the chart links to its source.

The story

Established on 3 July 1857, the PLM grew between 1858 and 1862 from the amalgamation of the earlier Paris–Lyon and Lyon–Méditerranée companies, as well as subsequently incorporating a number of smaller railways. The PLM operated chiefly in the Southeast of France, with a main line which connected Paris to the French Riviera by way of Dijon, Lyon and Marseille. The company was also the operator of railways in Algeria.

The PLM was absorbed in 1938 into the majority state-owned Société nationale des chemins de fer français, and its network became the southeastern region of the SNCF.

From Wikipedia’s article on Chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4

Leadership

Who has led Compagnie des chemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée, and when. Pick a name to see everywhere that person has worked.

Subsidiaries and ownership

Subsidiaries

From Wikidata.1

Acquisitions

  1. Succeeded Chemin de fer de Lyon à la Méditerranée1
  2. Succeeded Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Lyon1
  3. Succeeded Società per le Strade Ferrate Calabro-Sicule1
  4. Succeeded by Société nationale des chemins de fer français1

Timeline

  1. Jan 1, 1938Dissolved Dissolved1
  2. 1857Founded Founded1

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

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