Gare de Marseille-Saint-Charles

Marseille-Saint-Charles SNCF railway station
Station statistics
Address	Square Narvik 13232 Marseille Cedex 1
Lines	Paris–Marseille railway Marseille–Ventimiglia railway
Tracks	15
Other information
Owned by	RFF / SNCF
Traffic
Passengers (2007)	15 million

Saint-Charles Station main staircase.

The new extension of Saint-Charles Station

Marseille Saint-Charles is the main railway 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.

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.

A new passenger concourse was opened below the administration offices linking the station with the reconstructed bus station.

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
• Dijon / Besançon / Mulhouse
• 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.

Preceding station		SNCF		Following station
Aix-en-Provence TGV toward northern France		TGV		Terminus
Arles toward Bordeaux-Saint-Jean		Téoz		Toulon toward Nice-Ville
Toulouse toward Hendaye		Lunéa		Toulon toward Nice-Ville
Arles toward Strasbourg or Luxembourg		Lunéa		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

Important people

• Paulin Talabot: started the Marseille-Avignon line.
• Sénès: Architect of the stairway.

References

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

External links

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

Coordinates: 43°18′11″N 5°22′52″E / 43.30306°N 5.38111°E / 43.30306; 5.38111