Marseille-Saint-Charles station

Marseille-Saint-Charles
SNCF railway station
General information
Location	Square Narvik 13232 Marseille Cedex 1
Owned by	RFF / SNCF
Line(s)	Paris–Marseille railway Marseille–Ventimiglia railway
Tracks	15
Passengers
2007	15 million

Saint-Charles Station main staircase.

The new extension of Saint-Charles Station

Night view from the main staircase

Marseille Saint-Charles is the main railway station and intercity bus station of Marseille. It is the southern terminus of the Paris–Marseille railway. It opened on 8 January 1848, having been built for the PLM on the land of the Saint Charles Cemetery. The station is perched on top of a small hill and is linked to the city centre by a monumental set of stairs. Since 2001, when the TGV reduced dramatically the travel time between Marseille and further northern, the station traffic increased (7.1 million annual passengers in 2000 to 15 million in 2007) and the station is currently the 11th busiest in France (after Paris, Lyon and Lille stations).

Overview

The station was once a stage on the voyage to Africa and the Middle-East before the popularisation of flying. Passengers now arrive from Paris, the North of France and the United Kingdom.

The station building was built in a U shape around a rooftop canopy. It was opened in 1848 on top of a plateau. Both wings house the arrivals and departures. To the rear of the station, along Boulevard Voltaire was the station's goods yard which was used up until the end of the 1990s by the SNCF's road freight operations, Sernam. The station, first isolated from the town, was equipped with a great staircase. The staircase was envisioned in 1911 and opened in 1926. It is bordered by African and Middle-East inspired statues.

A first extension was opened after World War II. The buildings on the northside had been destroyed and were rebuilt and housed the administration offices of the SNCF. A new between level was opened to enhance the flow of passengers.

At the end of the 1990s a redevelopment project began with the opening of the Marseille underground and bus interchange as well as the arrival of the TGV Méditerranée. Since 2001 new underground parking lots and a tunnel creation allowed the train station to be renewed. A new hall, the Halle Honnorat, was created and hosts shops and services. The displacement of the regional coach station on the other side of the train station allowed a new pedestrian square to be created, between the station and the Aix-Marseille University site of Saint-Charles. New pedestrian spaces with cafe terraces have also been created atop of the great stairs.

Station layout

Saint-Charles has 14 terminal platforms and 4 tracks which run through, all equipped with 1500 DC overhead wire. Near the entrance to the station, track splits into two lines; towards Ventimiglia and the north as well as a single track line to Briançon. A single track branch line links Saint-Charles to the harbour station of La Joliette.

Destinations

• Lyon (Stations of Perrache, Part-Dieu or St Exupéry Airport TGV) / Paris (3 hours)
• Rennes / Brest
• Lille-Bruxelles
• Besançon / Dijon / Mulhouse
• Frankfurt / Luxembourg / Metz / Nancy / Strasbourg
• Nantes
• intercity services (Téoz) Bordeaux - Toulouse - Montpellier - Marseille - Nice
• Le Havre / Rouen
• Aubagne / Cassis / La Ciotat / Toulon

Many other regional trains serve the station.

Important people

• Paulin Talabot: started the Marseille-Avignon line.
• Eugène Senès: architect of the stairway.

References

• Timetables TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Template:Fr icon

External links

Media related to Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles at Wikimedia Commons

• Detailed practical description in English