Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles

Marseille – Saint-Charles
SNCF railway station
Location	Square Narvik 13232 Marseille Cedex 1
Owned by	RFF / SNCF
Line(s)	Paris–Marseille railway Marseille–Ventimiglia railway
Tracks	16
Traffic
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 northern France, traffic increased (7.1 million annual passengers in 2000 to 15 million in 2007) and the station is currently the 11th busiest in France.

Overview

The station was once a key stage on the sea voyage to Africa, the Middle-East and the Far East, before the popularisation of flying. 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. The station, originally isolated from the city, was equipped with a grand 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 harbour 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 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 have allowed the station to be renewed. 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 also been created atop the grand stairs. Its filthy railyard is covered in litter and discarded equipment.

Paulin Talabot started the Marseille-Avignon line.

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 - Airport Charles de Gaulle - 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 - Chambéry - 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 (Intercités) Bordeaux - Toulouse - Montpellier - Marseille - Cannes - Nice
• Intercity services (Intercités) Bordeaux - Toulouse - Narbonne - Montpellier - Arles - Marseille
• High speed services (TGV Ouigo) Marne-la-Vallée - Lyon Saint-Exupéry - Avignon - Marseille
• Night train (Lunéa) Strasbourg - Mulhouse - Avignon - Marseille - Cannes - Nice
• Night train (Lunéa) Luxembourg - Metz - Nancy - Avignon - Marseille - Cannes - Nice
• Regional services Lyon - Montelimar - Orange - Avignon - Arles - Miramas - Marseille
• Regional services Avignon - Arles - Miramas - Marseille
• Regional services Marseille - Aix-en-Provence - Sisteron - Gap - Briançon
• 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

Preceding station		SNCF		Following station
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Paris-Lyon		TGV		Terminus
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Bruxelles-Midi		TGV		Toulon toward Nice
Avignon TGV toward Basel SBB		TGV		Terminus
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Frankfurt (Main) Hbf		TGV		Terminus
Avignon TGV toward Metz		TGV		Toulon toward Nice
Avignon TGV toward Le Havre		TGV		Terminus
Avignon TGV toward Rennes		TGV		Terminus
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Annecy		TGV		Terminus
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Strasbourg		TGV		Terminus
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Genève-Cornavin		TGV		Toulon toward Nice
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Madrid Atocha		TGV		Terminus
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy		TGV		Terminus
Terminus		Thello		Toulon toward Milano Centrale
Arles toward Bordeaux-Saint-Jean		Intercités		Toulon toward Nice-Ville
Miramas toward Clermont-Ferrand		Intercités		Terminus
Arles toward Strasbourg or Luxembourg		Intercités night trains		Toulon toward Nice-Ville
L'Estaque toward Narbonne		TER Languedoc-Roussillon 3		Terminus
Terminus		TER PACA 1		Marseille-Blancarde toward Hyères
		TER PACA 6		Toulon toward Nice-Ville
Saint-Louis-Les Aygalades toward Miramas		TER PACA 7		Terminus
Pas-des-Lanciers toward Avignon-Centre		TER PACA 8
L'Estaque toward Avignon-Centre		TER PACA 9
Miramas toward Lyon-Part-Dieu		TER PACA 10
Picon-Busserine toward Pertuis		TER PACA 12
Gardanne toward Briançon		TER PACA 13
Preceding station		Eurostar		Following station
Avignon TGV toward London St Pancras		Eurostar		Terminus

External links

Media related to at Wikimedia Commons

• Timetables TER Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur (French)