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Origin and history

The Paris-Montparnasse station, originally known as the Western Railway Station, is one of the six major terminal stations in Paris. His story began in 1840 with the opening of a first landing at the barrier of Maine, designed by architect Louis Visconti. This site, located outside the walls of Paris on the current territory of the 15th arrondissement, hosts a 50-metre metal hall protecting two lanes. The line, operated by the Compagnie de Paris at Versailles (left bank), transported 490,000 passengers annually as early as 1844, despite continuing financial difficulties.

In 1852, a second neo-classical station was built between Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Wall of the Farmers General, under the direction of architects Victor Lenoir and Alphonse Baude. It replaces the initial pier, demolished to allow the extension of the network to Chartres and Rennes. The station then became a major pole for the Western Railway Company, with 1.4 million passengers in 1854. Its development accelerated with the Universal Exhibition of 1900, resulting in expansions and the creation of additional routes.

The 20th century marked a turning point with the total reconstruction of the station in the 1960s and 1970s, integrated into the Maine-Montparnasse urban project. The old station was demolished in 1969 to give way to a modern complex designed by Eugène Beaudouin and Urbain Cassan, including the Montparnasse Tower and a shopping centre. In 1990, the commissioning of the LGV Atlantic transformed the station into a TGV hub towards the Great West and South-West, absorbing part of the traffic from the Austerlitz station. Today, it welcomes 50 million travellers annually.

The station is also a landmark: on August 25, 1944, General Leclerc received the surrender of General von Choltitz, at which time the liberation of Paris took place. Its current architecture, with the Ocean Gate and the Atlantic Garden, reflects its many renovations. It remains a symbol of Breton migration to Paris in the 19th century and a cultural crossroads, appearing in many films and artistic works.

Technically, the station has 28 dock tracks serving TGV, TER, and Transilien. It is connected to lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 of the Paris metro, as well as to a dense bus network. Its annex, the station of Paris-Vaugirard, manages rail freight. Despite recurring incidents (e.g. referrals, fires), it remains a pillar of the SNCF network, certified NF Service since 2004 for the quality of its services.

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