Since 2011, French photographer Pierre Folk has been documenting the disappearance of the Chemin de fer de Petite Ceinture, a 160-year-old railway in Paris.
The 32-kilometer-long railway, which means “little belt railway” in French, was in service from 1852 to 1934, but has since been abandoned for the past 80 years.
Opinions on what to do with it have been mixed; developers and local officials want to turn the land it rests on into new developments, while railway enthusiasts and organizations believe it should be preserved as part of the city’s heritage.
Folk’s project ‘By the silent line’ captures the slow decline of the railway as it is left to the ravages of time and the elements, growing ever more rusty and swallowed by grass and weeds.
The photographer visits the crumbling railway throughout the year, often returning to the same areas to see how much they have changed.
Scroll down for some of his images and view more here.
[via This Is Colossal, images via Pierre Folk]