Compagnie du chemin de fer Grand-Central de France

The Compagnie du chemin de fer Grand-Central de France was a short-lived French railway company, registered in July 1853 under the chairmanship of Charles de Morny and backed by the Credit Mobilier bank and British investors, that built lines meant to serve the mining regions of the Massif Central, including routes from Clermont-Ferrand to Montauban, Limoges to Agen, and Lyon to Bordeaux. Isolated in rugged terrain, without a direct Paris terminus and facing competition from established railway companies, the Grand-Central struggled financially and collapsed amid the financial crisis of 1856, ceasing operations after only four years in 1857.