French rail takes comfort in Montparnasse station

The timing was impeccable for theinauguration of the Montparnasse station which, like the work completed on schedule, started exactly on time, to the minute. Even the incursion of the CGT cheminots failed to derail a timed organisation bringing together the major players in the French rail sector.

Unfortunately, the timing of the event gave it an ironic tone, just a few days after the official declaration of failure. Gare du Nord. When questioned several times on this subject, the Director General of SNCF Gares & Connexions tried in vain to keep the spotlight on the day's celebration, simply conceding: " we will be giving feedback on this issue [of Gare du Nord]. As regards the strategic plan currently underway, this will obviously lead us to ask ourselves all sorts of questions. Today I have no answer ".

For his part, the Minister for Transport opted for the second degree in the introduction to his speech: " I can't conceal from you my pleasure at being able to inaugurate, to the cheers of the crowd [the sirens of the CGT cheminots, editor's note], a Parisian station where the work has gone off without a hitch. ". Later in the morning, Jean-Baptiste Djebbari nevertheless returned to the subject: " The SNCF referred to the term "industrial disaster to describe what happened at Gare du Nord. It's unfortunate because we need to redevelop the Gare du Nord, including quickly to improve flow management. So we will have a project that will make up for the redevelopment in the very short term. And we will have to relaunching a large-scale project to prepare the future of Gare du NordSo let's be satisfied today that we have an exemplary project ".

And that's exactly what the event was all about: celebrating the star of the day, after a makeover of more than four years of work. " Dark, complicated, inward-looking, sad, cold, grey "The various speakers at Friday's meeting were quick to point out the shortcomings of the old Montparnasse building, highlighting the need for a new building. light - the central theme of the renovation - how far we've come. Symbols of this new aesthetic are the glass footbridge and the glass roof that finally bathe the gateway to Western France in light. " In this station, you have succeeded two exploits The first is to bring the lightfor bringing the colour the sky and Vasarely's frescoes, to which you have restored their splendour "The Minister of Transport welcomed this in his speech. " The second, and obviously related, is to have made it a welcoming place. For a long time, we didn't bother with the reception because, after all, we didn't linger at the station. You've taken the gamble, and I agree, that this doesn't have to be the case. ".

We've thought big with this station, because Paris Montparnasse is now designed to handle between 77 million and 90 million passengers a year.

Hospitality: this is the other area of development that Altarea has taken on board in the redesign of Montparnasse station, as illustrated by the waiting areas now equipped with 1200 seatscompared with 450 up to now. Or - for business customers - the arrival of coworking with Multiburo. " We have created Europe's most modern railway station "This is a key issue at a time when the station has been taking on a new dimension in recent years. This is a key issue, as the station has taken on a new dimension in recent years, and plans to adopt a new scale, as Jean-Pierre Farandou, CEO of the SNCF, points out: " Paris Montparnasse station needed a new look, because in recent years there have been a lot of new developments on the western side of the station. We have renovated the stations at Brest and Nanteswe have embellished the BordeauxWe're also in the process of modernising Toulouse Matabiau, and of course these station upgrades are in addition to the opening of high-speed lines between Tours and Bordeaux for the South-West, and Le Mans and Rennes for Brittany. We've thought big with this station, because Paris Montparnasse is now designed to handle between 77 million and 90 million passengers a year. "added the SNCF boss.