Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lyon station, located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, is one of the six main terminals of the SNCF network. Its history began in 1845, when the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Lyon proposed a first project near the Place de la Bastille, rejected by the City of Paris because of potential nuisances. A new location was chosen in 1847 at the corner of Bercy Street and Mazas Boulevard (now Diderot Boulevard), opposite Mazas Prison under construction. The Minister of Public Works validates this site, providing for a street connecting the station to the Bastille and a clearing place.

Inaugurated in 1849 under the name of "Board of railway from Paris to Montereau", the temporary building welcomed Prince Louis-Napoleon Bonaparte. The Company, in financial difficulty after the crash of 1847, was purchased by the State in 1848. The Paris-Lyon line opened entirely in 1854, and the Compagnie des chemins de Paris à Lyon et à la Méditerranée (PLM) was founded in 1857. The station gradually expanded to respond to the increase in traffic, but a fire during the Paris Commune in 1871 partially destroyed the installations, rebuilt in the same way.

In 1900, a new 13-way station, designed by architect Marius Toudoire, was inaugurated for the Universal Exhibition. It is distinguished by its 67-metre clock tower, decorated with 6.4-metre diameter dials, and a monumental fresco by Jean-Baptiste Olive celebrating the destinations served. The station becomes a symbol of railway progress, with connections to south-east France, Switzerland, Italy and Spain. The restaurant Le Train bleu, Second Empire style, is classified as a historical monument in 1972.

In the 20th century, the station underwent several major changes: the addition of eight additional tracks between 1925 and 1927, the creation of an underground station for the RER in the 1970s, and the arrival of the TGV in 1981 with the South-East LGV. A tragic accident in 1988, causing 56 deaths, led to the reorganization of infrastructure, including the interconnection of the RER D in 1995. The station, which has been listed as a historic monument since 1984 for its facades and fresco hall, remains a major railway hub, with 109 million annual travellers in 2018.

The Lyon station is also a cultural and cinematic place, appearing in works such as Roger Martin du Gard's Les Thibault or films such as Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie Poulain. His belfry, often cited in literature, dominates the Parisian landscape. Since 2015, it has been paired with the stations of Barcelona-Sants and Seoul, symbolizing its international reach. Recent work, such as the expansion of spaces in 2010, aims to accommodate increasing traffic, strengthening its central role in the French and European rail network.

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