Belfort–Delle reopening 8 décembre 2018 (≈ 2018)
Restoration from France to Switzerland after 26 years.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Heritage classified
The facades, with the marquesses they support, and the roofs of all the buildings of the station; In total, the courier hall, as well as the building body housing the passenger hall (Box BN 135, 80, cf. plan annexed to the decree): registration by order of 29 January 2014. On 15 July 2015 the MH classifies the façades, with the marquesses they support, and the roofs of all the buildings, excluding the courier hall and in whole the building body housing the passenger hall, as defined by a red border on the plan annexed to the decree. The classification order replaces the parties to the registration order of 29 January 2014.
Key figures
Jules Bernaut - Chief Architect
Reconstructed the station in 1933–34, Art Deco style.
Adolphe Joanne - Author and Description (1868)
Qualifies the station as "one of the most elegant".
Origin and history
The Belfort station, which was commissioned in 1858 by the Eastern Railway Company, quickly became a strategic railway hub. From its opening, it connects Paris to Basel via Mulhouse, then extends to Besançon with the arrival of the PLM Company trains. Its location, initially contested by the municipality and the military authorities, is a key point for passenger and freight traffic, with up to 500 cars parked daily.
In 1864, a passenger building was built according to a model of the Eastern Company, described as one of the most elegant of the line. After the 1870 war, the station developed with the opening of new lines, notably towards Switzerland (Belfort-Delle in 1876) and Giromagny (1883). Despite modernization projects delayed by the First World War, a major reconstruction began in 1933 under the direction of architect Jules Bernaut, culminating in 1934 in a building combining northern, Tunisian and Art Deco influences.
The station, which was electrified in 1970, plays a key role in international connections, notably with Switzerland via the Belfort-Delle line, reopened in 2018 after 26 years of closure. Classified as a Historical Monument in 2015 for its facades, marqueses and roofs, it embodies the architectural and technical evolution of French railway stations. Today, it remains a TER Bourgogne-Franche-Comté and Grand Est hub, serving destinations such as Paris, Mulhouse, Besançon and Lyon.
Its passenger building, open daily, offers complete services (windows, automatons, buffet) and is integrated into a multimodal hub with urban bus (Optymo), self-service bicycles and parking. The station is also a starting point for Eurockéenne shuttles, a local festival, and a place of freight always active. Its architecture, marked by yellow brick and reinforced concrete, reflects the built heritage of the 1930s of Belfort.
The Belfort-Delle line, reactivated in 2018, reinforces its cross-border role by linking the French network with that of Switzerland (Delémont, Bienne). This reopening, after decades of neutralisation, allows direct access to the Belfort-Montbéliard TGV station in 10 minutes. The historic station, despite the competition of the Rhine-Rhône LGV (2011), retains its local importance and its status as a listed monument, a witness to European railway history.
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