The Fades viaduct, situated in the Sioule gorges on the border of the Puy-de-Dôme region in central France, is a remarkable feat of engineering. Standing 132 meters high, it holds the world record for the tallest piers built using traditional masonry, with two main piers reaching 92.33 meters. Construction began in 1901 and was completed in 1909 under the direction of engineer Félix Virard. When it opened on October 10, 1909, it was the tallest bridge in the world across all categories. The structure was built using local granite blocks, cut and assembled by hand without the modern machinery available today. The bridge’s deck is a straight steel beam supported by a triple steel truss, 11.60 meters high, with a central span of 144 meters, giving the entire structure a total length of 470 meters. During construction, a landslide on the left bank abutment forced engineers to replace two masonry arches with a lighter secondary steel span. The viaduct was part of the Clermont-Ferrand–Montluçon railway line, which once transported passengers, wood, coal, and agricultural goods through the region. However, the line was closed in 2007 due to safety concerns, as the structure was in poor condition and had not been properly maintained. The steel deck had not been repainted since 1981, except for a small 30-meter section treated in 2004. Freight traffic, which had already declined, stopped completely in 2014, and the line was officially decommissioned. Over decades of exposure to the elements without protection, the steel corroded, eventually leading to the complete halt of all traffic. From the 1950s onward, the rise of automobiles and modernized roads gradually reduced the number of people using the railway. By the 1980s, the line was nearly abandoned. The high cost of maintaining such an exceptional structure no longer made sense when only a few trains passed daily. This led to a cycle of fewer passengers, less maintenance, more corrosion, and ultimately the closure of the line. The viaduct was listed in the additional inventory of Historic Monuments in 1984. In 2019, it was selected as a flagship heritage site in a mission led by Stéphane Bern, and received 500,000 euros in funding from the Heritage Lottery. Plans for its rehabilitation include securing the structure, restoring surrounding buildings, and developing tourism through an exhibition space and a bike path. In 2020, SNCF Réseau, the current owner, signed an agreement to transfer management to local intercommunalities. The Sioule and Heritage association has long advocated for the viaduct’s preservation, even launching public subscription campaigns to support its restoration. Though no longer carrying trains, the viaduct remains visible from viewpoints in the gorges, a striking granite and steel silhouette suspended above the Sioule river, a silent witness to a bygone era of French rail travel.