Gare de Lyon-Part-Dieu

The Gare de la Part-Dieu (Part-Dieu railway station) is the primary train station for metropolitan Lyon, France. It is one of the most important railway hubs in Europe.

History

The station was constructed in 1978 as part of the new Part-Dieu urban neighborhood project. As the planners intended Part-Dieu to act as a second city center for Lyon, the large train station was built in conjunction with a shopping mall (the largest in France outside of Île-de-France), a major government office complex, and the tallest skyscraper in the region, nicknamed "le crayon" (the pencil) due to its shape.

Prior to the construction of the "Gare de la Part-Dieu", the neighborhood was served by the Brotteaux railway station. It was closed in 1982 and its operations absorbed into this station.

While Part-Dieu is routinely the busiest, four other stations operate in metro Lyon: Perrache (in the city-center), Lyon-Vaise, Saint-Paul, and Gorge de Loup.

Rail connections

Part-Dieu is a significant railway hub, connected to the French (SNCF) and international rail networks. From the many lines that run through Lyon, Part-Dieu is directly connected to Paris, Marseille, Valence, Saint-Étienne, Nice, Perpignan, Rouen, Roissy, Lille, Brussels, Geneva, Metz, Strasbourg, Tarbes, Bayonne, Nantes, Grenoble and Bordeaux.

The station is served by France's high-speed rail service, TGV, in addition to regional TER trains.

Airport connections

Part-Dieu has connections to the Charles de Gaulle airport (CDG) by TGV and has been assigned the "XYD" airport code, the SNCF is proposing connection services to CDG under code sharing agreement with many airlines.

Part-Dieu also has connections to the Lyon Saint-Exupéry Airport by bus that is being upgraded to a "express tram" (Leslys project).

Traffic

The station has significantly surpassed its initial traffic expectations, from a moderate 35,000 passengers a day in 1983 to 80,000 passengers on 500 trains a day in 2001. Because of the increased traffic, the station was renovated from 1995-2001 to increase the number of platforms and alter the exterior.

In 2007, the station served roughly 29 million passengers, approaching 100,000 for an average weekday.

Local transportation

Lyon Part-Dieu has direct access to Line B of the Lyon Metro, providing easy access to Lyon's "centre ville" (center city) and "Vieux Lyon" (historic district). Outside the station, the Metro's T1 and T3 trams also stop.