Gare du Nord will be brought into the 21st century said SNCF chairman Guillaume Pepy, unveiling plans to rejuvenate the Parisian landmark.
Every day, 2,100 trains and 700,000 passengers use the station, making it the busiest passenger rail interchange in Europe.
On June 24, Patrick Ropert, managing director of SNCF Gares & Connexions, and architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte presented details of the modernisation programme, which has been split into two phases from now to 2023.
The first part of programme to get underway will be a refurbishment of the RER B and D platforms. The RER is responsible for 80 per cent of the traffic within the station.
Work will also focus on Gare du Nord’s main concourse, which will be redesigned to adjust passenger flows and remove certain pinch points; this will include new passenger information screens to replace the large departure board.
The Eurostar departure area will be increased by 50 per cent in time for the UEFA European Championships next year. This will match the 20 per cent increase in passengers that is expected to be created by the new Siemens Velaro trainsets which go into service at the end of this year. The first class lounge will also be moved from the end of the terminal to the third floor.
The most significant works, designed by Jean-Michel Wilmotte, will take place after 2018, including the construction of a 250-metre long walkway over the tracks with escalators to platform level.
