The stretch from Annemasse to Samoëns, 43.8km long, was opened on 1st November 1891. Along all the right of way, the track ran on or alongside the existing road. Two branches connected Bonne-sur-Menoge to Bonneville (11km) and Saint-Jeoire to Marignier (7km), both communities already linked to Annemasse by the standard gauge PLM line. At Annemasse, the local station was adjacent o that of the PLM and to the terminus of the Geneva tramways. The railway was operated by the Société des Chemins de fer Economiques du Nord (CEN).
