The SNCF, through its subsidiary Gares & Connexions, has unveiled its new renovation plan for the Gare du Nord, Europe's busiest passenger station. Called Horizon 2024, with the aim of being completed in time for the next Summer Olympics, the project is based on minimal redevelopment of the stationThis is a far cry from the previous €1.5 billion expansion plan, which envisaged tripling the surface area of the building. A ambitious plan The project was abandoned in September 2021 following opposition from local residents, the City of Paris and environmental and user associations.
Improving traffic flow within the station
More modest, with the aim of improving traffic flow and " open up the station to the city" Now costing €55 million, this transformation will begin with an overhaul of the Eurostar terminal dedicated to cross-Channel trains. On the agenda, an expansion of waiting areas and the addition of gantry cranes designed to speed up boarding for passengers bound for Great Britain. Traffic will then be improved in the station's main concourse for routes to Northern France and Europe with Thalys, by relocating the signs indicating departing trains and removing several takeaway kiosks. Signage and lighting will also be improved. The work will also involve the Transilien section of the station, with the replacement of the escalators and the creation of a ramp to link the platforms of the "daily trains" and the bus station, the aim being to improve traffic flow between the surface station and the underground station.
The third phase of this transformation project will involve the exterior, with a redevelopment of the forecourt The area in front of the station's historic façade will be pedestrianised, with the exception of the bus lanes, and the taxi drop-off point will be moved to a car park in the basement of the building. On the eastern side, the bus station will be redesigned and transformed into an eco-station, with the creation of a second forecourt and a hall for 1,000 bicycle parking spaces.
An estimated 900,000 passengers a day by 2030
Work will start in October 2022 to to be completed in July 2024. Planned to be carried out in several phases, they are designed to cope with the expected increase in traffic at the station over the next two years due to the Rugby XV World Cup in 2023, followed by the Olympic Games in 2024, during which, according to SNCF estimates, 900,000 people a day will pass through the station. In the longer term, the SNCF has said that it has not given up on the idea of undertaking a more extensive transformation of the station by 2030 in order to handle an estimated 900,000 passengers a day by then.
