Discover in pictures the new face of the Paris-Montparnasse station after four years of work
Thousands of Eurelians relate to it every day and can produce the results of the work. Montparnasse station, located in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, has just received a major facelift. For more than four years, many improvements were made to renovate the site, as explained by Amaury Lombard, director of the Montparnasse project at SNCF Gares & Connexions:
“There had been no renovation operation since 1989. With our partner Altarea Commerce, we have invested 150 million euros in total to increase reception capacity, increase comfort and make travel more fluid. also by a significant increase in the number of businesses. Altarea guarantees the operating concession of the various businesses for 30 years. “
Amaury Lombard (SNCF Gares & Connexions project manager)
What are these arrangements made for 5.6 M € in the trains of the Paris-Chartres line?
100 million euros were not invested by SNCF Gares & Connexions and 50 million euros by Altarea commerce.
The Paris Montparnasse station serves, with high-speed lines (LGV), the regions of Brittany, Pays de La Loire, Center-Val de Loire, New Aquitaine and Occitanie. It also allows you to travel on line N of the Transilien (Dreux, etc.) and two TER lines, including that of Center-Val de Loire (Chartres, etc.).
“This renovation should also make it possible to meet the challenges of frequentation at the station, which welcomes 77 million visitors each year, including 61 million passengers. In a few years, they will be 90 million ”, estimates Amaury Lombard.
Brightness, circulation …
In total, nearly 50,000 m2 have been extensively revised and modernized, on four floors. For the architects, it was necessary to deal with the existing and make the most of the spaces. With a major goal in mind, as Amaury Lombard explains:
“The goal was to bring in natural light and to fully diffuse it at all levels of the station, from the metro to the transverse platform, near the tracks. For this, the old glass roof which blocked the passage of light was reserved by twelve translucent cushions of 50 m2, for example. In addition, the station is now surrounded by glass walls. The concrete walls that adorned the site have been replaced by glass walls 3.80 m high all along the facade. “
The passenger building of the Chartres SNCF station inaugurated
Another stated ambition is fluidity: “The possibilities of access to the station, from the forecourt and the metro, as well as movement inside the building, have been reviewed and increased. Two panoramic elevators have been created to take travelers directly from the metro to the transverse platform. On the four floors of the station, the vertical links have been optimized and reinforced for a better distribution of flows by level, in particular with new escalators. We have also increased the number of information screens. “
SNCF Gares et Connexions and Altarea Commerce also want to reimburse waiting spaces. Amaury Lombard explains: “Fifteen waiting areas have been added in different places. Concretely, 600 seats have been created in public spaces and 600 others on restaurant terraces, which benefit from better acoustics, thanks to the installation of false ceilings. “
Shops also play an essential role in this renovation operation. The station now has 19,000 m2 of shops and restaurants, compared to 6,000 m2 previously. “800 job creations are linked to these new businesses”, specifies SNCF Gares & Connexions.
Simon Dechet
