Marseille-Saint-Charles Station

Overview

The station was once a key stage on the sea trip to Africa , the Middle East and the Far East, before the popularization of flying . To the rear of the station along Boulevard Voltaire was the goods which was used until the end of the 1990s by the SNCF’s road freight operations, Sernam . The station, originally isolated from the city, was equipped with a large staircase, envisioned by Eugène Senès in 1911 and opened in 1926. It is bordered by statues inspired by all the distant locations to which people sailed from Marseille’s port.

Saint-Charles has 14 terminal platforms and four tracks which run through, all equipped with 1500 V DC overhead wire . Tracks run in various directions, towards Ventimiglia , the north, Briançon , and the harbor station of La Joliette .

A first extension was opened after World War II . The buildings on the north side had been destroyed and were rebuilt to house the administration offices of the SNCF. A new level has been 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 interchange as well as the arrival of the TGV Méditerranée . Since 2001 new underground parking lots and a tunnel have been renovated. A new hall, the Halle Honnorat , was created housing shops and services. The displacement of the regional coach station on the other side of the 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 been created atop the grand stairs. Its filthy railyard is covered in litter and discarded equipment.

Paulin Talabot started the Marseille- Avignon line.

On October 1, 2017, two women were killed in a knife attack at the train station before the attacker was shot dead by police. ^[2] [3]

Train services

The station is served by the following services:

• High speed services ( TGV ) Paris – Avignon – Aix-en-Provence – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV ) Brussels – Lille – Charles de Gaulle Airport – Lyon – Avignon – Aix-en-Provence – Marseille – Cannes – Nice
• High speed services ( AVE ) Madrid – Barcelona – Perpignan – Montpellier – Avignon – Aix-en-Provence – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV ) Basel – Mulhouse – Dijon – Lyon – Avignon – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV ) Frankfurt – Strasbourg – Mulhouse – Lyon – Avignon – Aix-en-Provence – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV ) Metz – Nancy – Dijon – Lyon – Avignon – Marseille – Cannes – Nice
• High speed services ( TGV ) Geneva – Lyon – Marseille – Nice
• High speed services ( TGV ) Annecy – Chambery – Grenoble – Avignon – Aix-en-Provence – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV ) Le Havre – Rouen – Lyon – Avignon – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV ) Rennes – Le Mans – Lyon – Avignon – Marseille
• High speed services ( Thalys ) Amsterdam – Rotterdam – Antwerp – Brussels – Avignon – Aix-en-Provence – Marseille (Summer Saturdays)
• High speed services ( Eurostar ) London – Ashford – Lyon – Avignon – Marseille
• EuroCity services ( Thello ) Marseille – Cannes – Nice – Monaco – Ventimiglia – Genoa – Milan
• Intercity services ( Intercity ) Bordeaux – Toulouse – Beziers – Montpellier – Marseille – Cannes – Nice
• Intercity services ( Intercity ) Bordeaux – Toulouse – Narbonne – Beziers – Montpellier – Arles – Marseille
• High speed services ( TGV Ouigo ) Marne-la-Vallée – Lyon Saint-Exupéry – Avignon – Marseille
• Regional Services Lyon – Montelimar – Orange – Avignon – Arles – Miramas – Marseille
• Regional services Avignon – Arles – Miramas – Marseille
• Regional Services Marseille – Aix-en-Provence – Sisteron – Gap – Briancon
• Local services Miramas – Fos-sur-Mer – Carry-le-Rout – Marseille
• Local services Pertuis – Aix-en-Provence – Gardanne – Marseille
• Local services Aix-en-Provence – Gardanne – Marseille
• Local services Marseille – Aubagne – Saint-Cyr-sur-Mer – Toulon

References