Marseille-Saint-Charles(French:Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles) is the mainrailway stationandintercity bus stationofMarseille,France. It is the southern terminus of theParis–Marseille railwayand the western terminus of theMarseille–Ventimiglia railway.
Marseille-Saint-Charles  | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SNCFrailway station | |||||
 Main entrance | |||||
| General information | |||||
| Location | Square Narvik 13232MarseilleCedex 1 | ||||
| Owned by | SNCF | ||||
| Line(s) | Paris–Marseille railway Marseille–Ventimiglia railway | ||||
| Tracks | 16 | ||||
| Connections | Bus terminal | ||||
| Construction | |||||
| Structure type | At-grade | ||||
| Other information | |||||
| Station code | 87751008 | ||||
| IATA code | XRF | ||||
| Passengers | |||||
| 2017 | 16.5 million | ||||
| |||||
It opened on 8 January 1848, having been built for theChemins de fer de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée(PLM) on the land of the former 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, theTGVhas dramatically reduced the travel time between Marseille and Northern France; traffic has increased from 7.1 million annual passengers in 2000 to 16.5 million in 2017. This makes the station the eleventh busiest in France.
History
editConstruction of the Saint-Charles Grand Staircase
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Marseille-Saint-Charles was once a key stage on the sea voyage to Africa, the Middle East, and the Far East, before the popularisation of flying. The station, originally isolated from the city, was equipped with a grand staircase, envisioned by Eugène Senès. His proposal was approved by the municipality on 3 July 1911, but delayed by World War I. Construction work started on 17 July 1923; the grand staircase was opened on 22 December 1925, before being formally inaugurated by PresidentGaston Doumergueon 24 April 1927. It is bordered by statues inspired by all the distant locations to which people sailed from Marseille's port.
Further expansion after World War II
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Saint-Charles currently has 14 terminal platforms and four tracks which run through[citation needed],all equipped with 1500 VDCoverhead wire.Tracks run in various directions, towardsVentimiglia,Italy, the north,Briançon,as well as the harbour station of La Joliette. The 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 theSNCF.A new between level was opened to enhance the flow of passengers. To the rear of the station along Boulevard Voltaire was the goods yard which was used up until the end of the 1990s by the SNCF's road freight operations, Sernam.
OnNew Year's Eve1983, abomb at the stationkilled two people; Ilich Ramírez Sánchez, known asCarlos the Jackal,was later convicted for what was classified as a terrorist attack. At the end of the 1990s, a redevelopment project began with the opening of theMarseille Metroand bus interchange as well as the arrival of theLGV Méditerranée.
Arrival of the TGV
editSince 2001, new underground parking lots and a tunnel have allowed the station to be renewed. A new hall, theHalle 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 theAix-Marseille Universitysite of Saint-Charles. New pedestrian spaces with cafe terraces have also been created atop the grand stairs. In December 2007, a €230 million modernisation was completed.[1]
On 1 October 2017,two women were killedin a knife attack at the train station before the perpetrator, an illegal immigrant from Tunisia, was shot dead by soldiers on patrol. His act was classified as jihadist terrorism byEuropol.[2]
Train services
editThe station is served by the following services:[3][4][5]
- High-speed services (TGV) Paris-Lyon Station - Valence TGV - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (TGV Bruxelles-France) Brussels-Midi - Lille Europe / Lille-Flandres - Charles de Gaulle Airport 2 TGV - Lyon Part-Dieu - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (AVE) Madrid-Atocha - Zaragoza - Barcelona-Sants - Perpignan - Montpellier Saint Roch - Avignon TGV - Aix-en-Provence TGV mp airport -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (TGV-Alleo) Frankfurt (M) Hbf - Strasbourg-Ville - Mulhouse-Ville - Lyon Part-Dieu - Avignon TGV - Aix-en-Provence TGV mp airport -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (TGV) Nancy - Strasbourg - Besançon-Franche-Comté-TGV - Dijon-Ville - Lyon Part-Dieu - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles- Cannes - Nice-Ville
- High-speed services (TGV Lyria) Lausanne - Geneva-Cornavin -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (TGV) Lyon Part-Dieu - Valence TGV Southern Rhône-Alps - Avignon TGV - Aix en Provence TGV mp airport -Marseille Saint Charles- Toulon - Les Arcs-Draguignan - Cannes - Nice-Ville
- High-speed services (TGV) Le Havre - Rouen-Rive Droite - Versailles-Chantiers - Lyon Part-Dieu - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (TGV) Rennes / Nantes - Le Mans - Lyon Part-Dieu - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (Thalys) Amsterdam Centraal - Rotterdam Centraal - Antwerpen-Central - Bruxelles-Midi/Brussel-Zuid - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles(Summer Saturdays)
- Intercity services (Intercités) Bordeaux Saint Jean - Toulouse-Matabiau - Narbonne - Béziers - Montpellier Saint Roch - Nîmes - Arles -Marseille Saint Charles
- High-speed services (TGVOuigo) Marne-la-Vallée / Lyon-Perrache - Lyon Saint-Exupéry - Avignon TGV -Marseille Saint Charles
- Regional intercity services Lyon Part-Dieu - Montelimar - Orange - Avignon-Centre - Arles - Miramas -Marseille Saint Charles
- Regional intercity services Portbou (Spain) - Perpignan - Béziers - Montpellier Saint Roch - Miramas - Vitrolles mp airport -Marseille Saint Charles
- Regional intercity services Briançon - Gap - Sisteron - Aix en Provence Ville -Marseille Saint Charles
- Regional intercity servicesMarseille Saint Charles- Toulon - Les Arcs-Draguignan St Raphael- Cannes - Antibes - Nice-Ville
- Regional services Avignon-Centre - Arles - Miramas - Vitrolles mp airport - Marseille Euromediterranee -Marseille Saint Charles
- Regional services Avignon TGV - Avignon Centre - Salon - Miramas - Vitrolles mp airport - Marseille Euromediterranee -Marseille Saint Charles
- Local services Miramas - Fos-sur-Mer - Carry-le-Rouet - Séon St Henry -Marseille Saint Charles
- Local services Pertuis - Aix-en-Provence Ville - Gardanne - Saint Antoine -Marseille Saint Charles
- Local services Marseille Saint Antoine -Marseille Saint Charles
- Local servicesMarseille Saint Charles- Marseille Blancarde - Aubagne - Toulon - (Hyères)
- Local servicesMarseille Saint Charles- Marseille Blancarde - La Barasse - Aubagne
References
edit- ^News in BriefInternational Railway JournalJanuary 2008 page 7
- ^"Two women die in Marseille knife attack".BBC News.2 October 2017.Retrieved2 October2017.
- ^Rechercher une fiche horaire,TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, accessed 16 May 2022.
- ^La carte du réseau TER SUD,TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, accessed 16 May 2022.
- ^Marseille-Saint-Charles stationat "Gares & Connexions", the official website ofSNCF(in French)
External links
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Media related toGare de Marseille-Saint-Charlesat Wikimedia Commons- Marseille-Saint-Charles stationat "Gares & Connexions", the official website ofSNCF(in French)
