1.
Brussels-North railway station
–
Brussels-North is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels, the other two are Brussels Central and Brussels South. The stations bilingual French-Dutch name is translated to Brussels North. Every regular domestic and international train passing here also has a planned stop, Brussels North also is the end point of the underground tram north-south axis and an important node of MIVB/STIB and De Lijn bus lines. More than 30 regional bus lines depart from here, as do international Eurolines coach services, the station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters. It opens up to the Noordruimte/Espace Nord business district and is a place for inner-city visits. Just like the bigger stations in Brussels, Brussels-North is characterized by late maintenance. Meanwhile, there are plans to renovate the building, platforms and these long-due works should start at the end of 2008, when the renovation of Brussels-Central will be finished. Just next to the station is Aarschot Street, an area of prostitution behind windows, the first station in Brussels was Groendreef / Allée Verte, where in 1835 the first train on a public railway departed on the European continent. This was replaced in March 1846 by the first Brussels-North station, designed by F. Coppens, in 1952 a new Brussels-North station was built to link with the North-South Connection. The old station was razed in 1955, instead, most trains through Brussels depart from Brussel South, some from Schaarbeek
Brussels-North railway station
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Brussels-North
Brussels-North railway station
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A panorama of the premetro station, left is the platform towards the north, the far right platform to the south.
2.
TGV
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TGV is Frances intercity high-speed rail service, operated by SNCF, the national rail operator. It was developed in the 1970s by GEC-Alsthom and SNCF, originally designed as turbotrains to be powered by gas turbines, the prototypes evolved into electric trains with the 1973 oil crisis. A TGV test train set the record for the fastest wheeled train, in mid-2011, scheduled TGV trains operated at the highest speeds in conventional train service in the world, regularly reaching 320 km/h on the LGV Est, LGV Rhin-Rhône, and LGV Méditerranée. The commercial success of the first LGV, the LGV Sud-Est, led to an expansion of the network to the south, and new lines in the west, north, and east. Eager to emulate the TGVs success, neighbouring countries Italy, Spain, Several future lines are planned, including extensions within France and to surrounding countries. Cities such as Tours have become part of a TGV commuter belt around Paris, in 2007, SNCF generated profits of €1.1 billion driven largely by higher margins on the TGV network. The idea of the TGV was first proposed in the 1960s, at the time the French government favoured new technology, exploring the production of hovercraft and the Aérotrain air-cushion vehicle. Simultaneously, SNCF began researching high-speed trains on conventional tracks, in 1976, the government agreed to fund the first line. By the mid-1990s, the trains were so popular that SNCF president Louis Gallois declared TGV The train that saved French railways, TGV001 was not a wasted prototype, its gas turbine was only one of its many new technologies for high-speed rail travel. It also tested high-speed brakes, needed to dissipate the large amount of energy of a train at high speed, high-speed aerodynamics. It was articulated, i. e. two adjacent carriages shared a bogie, allowing free yet controlled motion with respect to one another and it reached 318 km/h, which remains the world speed record for a non-electric train. Its interior and exterior were styled by British-born designer Jack Cooper, whose work formed the basis of early TGV designs, changing the TGV to electric traction required a significant design overhaul. The first electric prototype, nicknamed Zébulon, was completed in 1974, testing such as innovative body mounting of motors, pantographs, suspension. Body mounting of motors allowed over 3 tonnes to be eliminated from the power cars, the prototype travelled almost 1,000,000 km during testing. In 1976 the French government funded the TGV project, and construction of the LGV Sud-Est, the line was given the designation LN1, Ligne Nouvelle 1. After two pre-production trainsets had been tested and substantially modified, the first production version was delivered on 25 April 1980, the LGV opened to the public between Paris and Lyon on 27 September 1981. Contrary to its earlier fast services, SNCF intended TGV service for all types of passengers and this commitment to a democratised TGV service was enhanced in the Mitterrand era with the promotional slogan Progress means nothing unless it is shared by all. The TGV was considerably faster than normal trains, cars, or aeroplanes, the trains became widely popular, the public welcoming fast and practical travel
TGV
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Three TGV trains at
Paris Gare de l'Est
TGV
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A TGV driver's cab
TGV
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A TGV Duplex trainset coupled to a Reseau trainset leaving Paris
Gare de Lyon
TGV
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A
TGV Sud-Est set in the original orange livery, since superseded by silver and blue
3.
Transilien
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The Transilien is the brand name of the suburban railway service of the SNCF-owned railway network operating within the Île-de-France région. Transilien is a derivative of Francilien, a commonly used to describe the inhabitants of the Île-de-France. Transilien trains depart from Paris main railway and RER stations and the business district of La Défense. Transilien services transported 615 million passengers in 2004, the first line to the suburbs of Paris was opened on the 26 August 1837. The route went from Paris-Saint-Lazare to Le Pecq, the railway link was thought of as key to the western suburbs. On 1 October 1972, the line was handed over to the RER, the transilien is divided into six key entities, which are divided according to SNCF guidelines and are in no way related to the departmental boundaries. The lines are divided into branches which, similarly to the RER, are given letters, although until 2005. The importance of these glitches in the network are visible at times when SNCF staff go on strike or when serious technical problems occur on the network. Thousands of travellers arrive late for work, or when there are serious problems, the extent of the lines means that concentric zoning is used. Trains bound for the zones are normally operated as express trains, meaning trains serve Paris termini then operate non-stop to the outer zones. The rolling stock used on the Transilien comes from a long evolution of the material in the suburbs, the design used for the rehabilitation and rejuvenation of the fleet was conducted by two outside agencies under contracts awarded in October 2000. RCP Design Global provided exterior design and interior signage, and Avant Première the interior, all vehicles received a new blue and gray Transilien livery with panels of color to highlight doors and internal characteristics. Everything was treated with a graffiti resistant coating to reduce the impact of vandalism, the trains are equipped with a new ergonomic design of seating with individual seats instead of the traditional banks. They are covered with vandal-resistant fabric in blue, yellow and red
Transilien
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A Transilien train
Transilien
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The Transilien network in the Île-de-France region
Transilien
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Map detail of the Paris region
Transilien
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Transilien upper room.
4.
SNCF
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SNCF is Frances national state-owned railway company and manages the rail traffic in France and the Principality of Monaco. SNCF operates the national rail services, including the TGV. Its functions include operation of services for passengers and freight. SNCF employs more than 180,000 people in 120 countries around the globe, the railway network consists of about 32,000 km of route, of which 1,800 km are high-speed lines and 14,500 km electrified. About 14,000 trains are operated daily, since July 2013, SNCF headquarters are located in a Parisian suburb at 2, place aux Étoiles,93200 Saint Denis. In 2010 SNCF was ranked 22nd in France and 214th globally on the Fortune Global 500 list and it is the main business of the SNCF group, which in 2014 employed 245,763 people and had €27.2 billion of sales in 120 countries. The chairman of the SNCF group is Guillaume Pépy, SNCF operates almost all of Frances railway system, including the TGV, In the 1970s, SNCF began the TGV high-speed train programme with the intention of creating the worlds fastest railway network. It came to fruition in 1981, when the first TGV service, today, SNCF operates 1,850 km of designated high-speed track that accommodate more than 800 high-speed services per day. SNCF’s TGV trains carry more than 100 million passengers a year, TGV lines and TGV technology are now spread across several European countries in addition to South Korea.8 km/h. SNCF has a safety record. After nearly 30 years in operation, SNCF’s TGV system has experienced one fatal accident. SNCF also owns the tracks and the stations, since the 1990s, SNCF has been selling railway carriages to regional governments, with the creation of the Train Express Régional brand. SNCF also maintains a broad scope of business that includes work on freight lines, inter-city lines. SNCF experts provide logistics, design, construction, operations and maintenance services, SNCF operates the international ticketing agency, Voyages SNCF. SNCF has employees in 120 countries offering extensive overseas and cross border consulting and those projects include, Israel, Assistance and Training. SNCF International provides assistance to Israel Railways in every area of operations including projects to upgrade the networks general safety regulations. Other assistance and training programmes involve Infrastructure and the Traction Division, SNCF supervised the prime contractor responsible for construction of the Taiwan Railways Administration’s main high-speed rail line. It also trained rail traffic controllers, drivers, and crew members, on behalf of the Government of Taiwan, SNCF managed the high-speed railway Command Control Centre
SNCF
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A high-speed train
TGV Duplex from SNCF
SNCF
SNCF
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A SNCF
Transport Express Régional train
SNCF
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TGV 4402 operation V150 reaching 574 km/h on 3 April 2007 near
Le Chemin, France.
5.
25 kV AC
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25 kV alternating current electrification is commonly used in railway electrification systems worldwide, especially for high-speed rail. This electrification is ideal for railways that cover long distances or carry heavy traffic, after some experimentation before World War II in Hungary and in the Black Forest in Germany, it came into widespread use in the 1950s. Railways using older, lower-capacity direct current systems have introduced or are introducing 25 kV AC instead of 3 kV DC/1.5 kV DC for their new high-speed lines. The first successful operational and regular use of the 50 Hz system dates back to 1931 and it was developed by Kálmán Kandó in Hungary, who used 16 kV AC at 50 Hz, asynchronous traction, and an adjustable number of poles. The first electrified line for testing was Budapest–Dunakeszi–Alag, the first fully electrified line was Budapest–Győr–Hegyeshalom. Although Kandós solution showed a way for the future, railway operators outside of Hungary showed a lack of interest in the design. The first railway to use system was completed in 1951 by SNCF between Aix-les-Bains and La Roche-sur-Foron in southern France, initially at 20 kV but converted to 25 kV in 1953. The main reason why electrification at this voltage had not been used before was the lack of reliability of mercury-arc-type rectifiers that could fit on the train. This in turn related to the requirement to use DC series motors, until the early 1950s, mercury-arc rectifiers were difficult to operate even in ideal conditions and were therefore unsuitable for use in the railway industry. It was possible to use AC motors, but they did not have a characteristic for traction purposes. This was because control of speed is difficult without varying the frequency and this is why DC series motors were the best choice for traction purposes, as they can be controlled by voltage, and have an almost ideal torque vs speed characteristic. In the 1990s, high-speed trains began to use lighter, lower-maintenance three-phase AC induction motors. The N700 Shinkansen uses a converter to convert 25 kV single-phase AC to 1,520 V AC to 3,000 V DC to a maximum 2,300 V three-phase AC to run the motors. The system works in reverse for regenerative braking, the choice of 25 kV was related to the efficiency of power transmission as a function of voltage and cost, not based on a neat and tidy ratio of the supply voltage. For a given level, a higher voltage allows for a lower current. The Indian Traction Power uses a 25 kV autotransformer system to achieve greater than the 25 kV system. Supply, in terms, the supply for the electric trains run by the Indian Rail uses only two phases of the normal three-phase electric power supply. The usage of the two phases is a one, feeding a single phase transformer with the two phases instead of the conventional feeding of a phase and a neutral
25 kV AC
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A
CSR EMU on the
Roca Line in
Buenos Aires, using 25kV AC.
25 kV AC
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2 × 25 kV overhead line system in France between Paris and Caen
6.
Thalys
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Thalys is an international high-speed train operator originally built around the LGV Nord high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris or Brussels to London via Lille, Thalys serves Amsterdam and Cologne as well. Its system is managed by Thalys International and operated by THI Factory, before Thalys, there had been an express rail service between Paris and Brussels since 1924 on the train service lÉtoile du Nord. In the 1970s it connected the two cities in around 2 hours 30 minutes, the decision to build a high-speed railway between Paris, Brussels, Cologne and Amsterdam was made in 1987. On 4 June 1996 the first train left Paris using the LGV Nord until it reached Belgium, in 1997, the Belgian HSL1 line, allowing 300 km/h and running from the French border to the outskirts of Brussels, was completed for service. On 14 December 1997 the first Thalys train from Paris to Brussels ran on the HSL1, at the same time service commenced to Cologne and Aachen in Germany, and Bruges, Charleroi, Ghent, Mons, Namur and Ostend in Belgium. On 19 December 1998 the Thalys Neige service started to the ski resorts of Tarentaise Valley, on 28 November 1999, the company changed its name to Thalys International. In 2000, Thalys started a daily Service between Brussels and Geneva, Thalys Soleil started offering direct connections to the Provence, initially to Valence, and extended to Avignon and Marseille in 2002. Service between Brussels and Cologne was improved in December 2002 when trains began running on the new HSL2 in Belgium, in 2003, services started to Brussels International Airport and the Thalys Nuits d’Été service to Marne-la-Vallée. Deutsche Bahn purchased 10% of the company in 2007, HSL3 was completed in 2007, but Thalys trains had not yet been equipped with the ETCS signalling equipment necessary to use the new line. After installation and testing, Thalys began operating on HSL3 on 13 December 2009, for the same reasons, Thalys started operating on the HSL 4/HSL-Zuid high-speed line between Antwerp and Amsterdam 13 December 2009, two years after the lines construction. Since 29 August 2011, one journey to Cologne has been extended to Essen Hauptbahnhof. In June 2013, Deutsche Bahn stopped selling Thalys tickets, Thalys has served Düsseldorf Airport station since the winter 2013 schedule went into effect. On 12 April 2014, Thalys started a service between Lille Europe and Amsterdam Centraal. At the end of March 2015, Thalys dropped the Paris – Oostende, on 30 March 2015, Thalys became a train company, and operates since under its own train operator certificate. Starting from 13 December 2015, service in Germany is extended to Dortmund, beyond Brussels, the main cities Thalys trains reach are Antwerp, Rotterdam, Amsterdam, Liège, Aachen and Cologne. Trains to these destinations run partly on dedicated high-speed tracks, the high-speed lines used by Thalys are HSL1 between Paris and Brussels, HSL 4/HSL-Zuid between Antwerp and Amsterdam, and the HSL2 and HSL3 between Brussels and Aachen. For its seasonal operations within France, other high-speed lines are used, journeys from Brussels to Paris are normally 1 hour,22 minutes, for a distance of approximately 300 kilometres
Thalys
Thalys
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PBA
Thalys
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PBKA
Thalys
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Thalys PBKA at
Köln Messe/Deutz station with an Essen-bound train
7.
Brussels-South railway station
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Brussels-South is the biggest railway station in Brussels, capital of Belgium. As Brussels is an entity, both the French and Dutch names are official. 1,000 trains pass between Brussels-South and Brussels-North railway stations every day, the station is connected to the Gare du Midi/Zuidstation station of the Brussels Metro system. A station known as Station des Bogards/Bogaardenstation existed since 1840 near the Place Rouppeplein in the part of the city. It was demolished 29 years later as it was too small. A new station designed by Payen opened in 1869 a short distance south of the original one, payens terminal station was itself demolished in 1949 and replaced by a through station on the present site as part of the North-South connection project. In the 1990s, the Eurostar terminal was added on the Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat side and this contains two bay platforms with no onward northbound connection. Line 2 has since been extended beyond Brussels-South - to Clemenceau in 1993, Delacroix in 2006, since 1993 the station also accommodates pre-metro services at separate platforms, with cross-platform interchange between metro and pre-metro in both directions. Following the restructuring of the local public transport network in April 2009. It is situated underneath the Rue Couverte/Overdektestraat, in front of the mainline station, the Belgian Federal State approved a project for the renovation of the station on 12 May 2012 with a total budget of approximately 155 million euro. Since 23 July 2012, SNCFs international coach network, OUIBUS, paris - Lille - Brussels Amsterdam - Brussels Amsterdam - Brussels - London A shuttle service to Brussels South Charleroi Airport leaves from a stop located in Rue de France/Frankrijkstraat. The tallest building in Belgium stands in front of the exit from the station and is named the South Tower
Brussels-South railway station
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Station interior
Brussels-South railway station
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TGV and
Thalys share a platform
Brussels-South railway station
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Gare du Midi Zuidstation
8.
Amsterdam Centraal railway station
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Amsterdam Centraal is the largest railway station of Amsterdam, Netherlands, and a major national railway hub. Used by 162,000 passengers a day, it is the second-busiest railway station in the country after Utrecht Centraal, national and international railway services at Amsterdam Centraal are provided by NS, the principal rail operator in the Netherlands. Amsterdam Centraal is the terminus of Amsterdam Metro Routes 51,53. It is also served by a number of GVB tram and ferry routes as well as local and regional bus routes operated by GVB, Connexxion, Amsterdam Centraal was designed by Dutch architect Pierre Cuypers and first opened in 1889. It features a Gothic/Renaissance Revival station building and a cast iron platform roof spanning approximately 40 metres, Amsterdam Centraal was designed by Pierre Cuypers, who is also known for his design of the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. While Cuypers was the architect, it is believed that he focused mostly on the decoration of the station building. The station was built by contractor Philipp Holzmann, the new central station replaced Amsterdam Willemspoort Station, which had closed in 1878, as well as the temporary Westerdok Station used from 1878 to 1889. In the first proposal, the station would be situated between the Leidseplein and the Amstel river, Cuypers design of the station building in many ways strongly resembled his other architectural masterpiece, the Rijksmuseum, of which the construction had begun in 1876. It features a palace-like, Gothic/Renaissance Revival facade, with two turrets and many details and stone reliefs referring to the capital citys industrial and commercial importance. Cuypers station reflects the nationalistic mood in the late nineteenth-century Netherlands, with its many decorative elements glorifying the nations economic. As with the Rijksmuseum, the overall architecture reminded many contemporaries of medieval cathedrals. Finally, the plan made its way through the Amsterdam municipal council by a narrow majority, the station is built on three interconnected artificial islands in the IJ lake. These islands were created with sand taken from the dunes near Velsen, the islands together are known as Stationseiland. Like many other structures in Amsterdam, the station was built on wooden piles, the construction of the station was delayed because of the instability of the soil, which set back the completion of the work by several years. The station building was completed in 1884, but the commission to Cuypers did not include the roofwork of the platforms, therefore, the station did not yet feature its distinctive station roof. This roof, consisting of 50 curved trusses and a span of almost 45 meters, was designed by L. J. Eijmer, the roof was manufactured by Andrew Handyside and Company of Derby, England. Cuypers did design the decorations for the trusses and the gable ends, on 15 October 1889, the station was officially opened, drawing large numbers of crowds. The visitors were charged 0.25 guilders to see the station, the waterways would soon be replaced by tramways and cars as the primary modes of transport in the city
Amsterdam Centraal railway station
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Amsterdam Centraal Station
Amsterdam Centraal railway station
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Amsterdam Centraal station, designed by
Pierre Cuypers, c. 1890-1900.
Amsterdam Centraal railway station
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First station roof (1889), designed by L.J. Eijmer, as seen from platform 2.
Amsterdam Centraal railway station
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The Royal Pavilion with waiting rooms for members of the royal family, on the east side of the station.
9.
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
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Dortmund Hauptbahnhof is the main railway station in Dortmund, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. The stations origins lie in a joint station of the Köln-Mindener Eisenbahn and that station was replaced by a new station, erected in 1910 at the current site. It featured raised embankments to allow a flow of traffic. At the time of its opening, it was one of the largest stations in Germany and it was, however, destroyed in an Allied air raid on 6 October 1944. The main station hall was rebuilt in the year 1952 in a contemporary style and its stained glass windows feature then-common professions of Dortmund. The station has over 600 departing trains on a typical weekday, the original Dortmund station was built north of the city centre by the Cologne-Minden Railway Company as part of its trunk line and opened on 15 May 1847. The original station building, which was built on an island between the tracks with its access from Burgtor, was replaced in 1910 by a new building at its current location. The new station was opened on 12 December 1910, the tracks had been raised to remove the obstruction of road traffic at level crossings. This second Hauptbahnhof in Dortmund was one of the largest of the former German Empire when it opened, on 6 October 1944, it was destroyed in an Allied bombing raid. The entrance building of Dortmund Hauptbahnhof was replaced in 1952 by a functionalist building and it is regarded as architecturally insignificant, but it has significant stained glass windows on the theme of the former industrial specialisations of Dortmund. Five large stained glass windows document the Dortmund economy, in the middle one the city is shown, flanked to the left and right by a steelworker, a blast furnace worker, a brewer and a bridge builder. During the reconstruction of the station they were removed and the put on exhibition at the Hattingen Henrichshütte and they were replaced with exact copies. Dortmund Hauptbahnhof originally housed a movie theatre, the Live Station discothèque was established in this former cinema in 1986. In April 2009, the nightclub was closed in the course of preparations for the reconstruction, the reconstruction of the Dortmund Hauptbahnhof has been under discussion since 1997. The original plan for an area in the form of an oversized UFO was rejected. On 7 October 1998 a memorandum of understanding had been signed between Deutsche Bahn, the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and Westdeutsche Immobilien Bank, the Deutsche Mark 850 million project was to be completed by 2002. After the plans for the so-called Dortmund UFO were dropped, a new investor was found in 2001 in the form of the Portuguese investment group Sonae Imobiliaria. The DM1.2 billion project was to be completed by 2006, the new proposed development was called 3do
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
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Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
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The original station in 1870
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
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The new station of 1910
Dortmund Hauptbahnhof
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The station during the
occupation of the Ruhr in September 1924
10.
Eurostar
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Eurostar is a high-speed railway service connecting London with Avignon, Brussels, Lille, Lyon, Marseille and Paris. All its trains traverse the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated separately by Eurotunnel, the London terminus is St Pancras International, with the other British calling points being Ebbsfleet International and Ashford International in Kent. Calling points in France are Calais-Fréthun and Lille-Europe, with trains to Paris terminating at Gare du Nord, Trains to Belgium terminate at Midi/Zuid station in Brussels. In addition, there are limited services from London to Disneyland Paris at Marne-la-Vallée – Chessy, services to southern France as of 1 May 2015 and seasonal services to the Alps in winter. The service is operated by 27 eighteen-coach Class 373/1 trains which run at up to 300 kilometres per hour on a network of high-speed lines. The LGV Nord line in France opened before Eurostar services began in 1994, the French and Belgian parts of the network are shared with Paris–Brussels Thalys services and also with TGV trains. Eurostar has become the dominant operator on the routes that it operates, other operators have expressed an interest in starting competing services following deregulation in 2010. On 1 September 2010, Eurostar was incorporated as a corporate entity called Eurostar International Limited. EIL is owned by SNCF, Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec, Hermes Infrastructure, in June 2014, the UK shareholding in Eurostar International Limited was transferred from London and Continental Railways / Department for Transport to HM Treasury. In October 2014, it was announced that the UK government planned to raise £300 million by selling that stake. In March 2015, the UK government announced that it would be selling its 40% share to an Anglo-Canadian consortium made up of Caisse de Depot et Placement du Quebec and this sale was completed in May 2015. The history of Eurostar can be traced to the 1986 choice of a tunnel to provide a cross-channel link between Britain and France. A previous attempt at constructing a tunnel between the two nations had begun in 1974, but was quickly aborted, in 1988 construction began on a new basis. Eurotunnel was created to manage and own the tunnel, which was finished in 1993, British Rail and SNCF contracted with Eurotunnel to use half the tunnels capacity for this purpose. In 1987 Britain, France and Belgium set up an International Project Group to specify a train to provide an international high-speed passenger service through the tunnel. An order for 30 trainsets, to be manufactured in France but with some British, on 20 June 1993, the first Eurostar test train travelled through the tunnel to the UK. Various technical difficulties in running the new trains on British tracks were quickly overcome, on 14 November 1994 Eurostar services began between Waterloo International station in London, Gare du Nord in Paris and Brussels-South railway station in Brussels. In 1995 Eurostar was achieving an average speed of 171.5 km/h between London and Paris
Eurostar
Eurostar
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Eurostar relocated from
Waterloo International station to
St Pancras International station in 2007
Eurostar
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A pair of Eurostar trains at the former
Waterloo International
Eurostar
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Domestic entrance to
Ashford International, since 2007
11.
Ashford International railway station
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Ashford International railway station is on the South Eastern Main Line in England, serving the town of Ashford, Kent. It is 56 miles 9 chains down-line from London Charing Cross and is situated between Pluckley and Westenhanger stations on the main line, domestic trains that call at Ashford are operated by Southeastern and Southern, and international services by Eurostar. Eurostar trains use platforms 3 and 4, while domestic trains use the original platforms 1 and 2, while all tracks are electrified with 750 V DC third rail, platforms 3 to 6 are also electrified with 25 kV50 Hz AC overhead lines. The local bus stops are located at the entrance to the domestic terminal, the international terminal is connected to a multi-storey car park via a footbridge and also to the nearby Ashford Designer Outlet by a signposted footpath. The present station was opened by the South Eastern Railway on 1 December 1842, the station then passed on to the Southern Region of British Railways on nationalisation in 1948. Another station was opened by the London, Chatham and Dover Railway on 1 July 1884 for services via Maidstone East to London and this only lasted 15 years until 1 January 1899 when passenger services were diverted to the former South Eastern Railway station. Remarkably the complete station survived for handling freight and engineering trains until it was closed and demolished around 1999 for construction of the Channel Tunnel Rail Link. When sectorisation was introduced in the 1980s by British Rail, the present station was served by Network SouthEast until the privatisation of British Rail, Ashford station has been rebuilt on two occasions in recent history. The station layout up until the early 1960s consisted of two tracks, two through platform loops and two bay platforms accessible from the east for terminating services. The supporting columns of these canopies were stamped with the date 1908, the station was rebuilt as Ashford International during the early 1990s for international services from mainland Europe, this included the addition of two platforms to the north of station. The majority of the overbridge and platform buildings from the early 1960s rebuild were destroyed during the rebuild of the early 1990s, a small section of the 1960s overbridge does remain however, as an emergency exit between the up island platform and the up side car park. There are ticket office windows in the booking hall, as well as ticket vending machines. There is a ticket office window in the Eurostar station. The international ticket counter in the Eurostar station is manned for part of the day. International services started on 8 January 1996, before the completion of High Speed 1 in November 2007, twelve Eurostar trains a day called, heading to Paris or Brussels. However this number was reduced because of the opening of Ebbsfleet International station to 3 trains to Paris, a direct train for Brussels was reinstated in 2009. From May 2015 a new service to Marseille runs up to five times a week. Seasonal Ski trains also run in the months to Bourg-Saint-Maurice in the French Alps
Ashford International railway station
–
Ashford International
Ashford International railway station
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The previous station entrance, dating from the 1990s until 2009 when it was extended and redeveloped, and forecourt.
12.
St Pancras railway station
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St Pancras railway station, also known as London St Pancras and since 2007 as St Pancras International, is a central London railway terminus located on Euston Road in the London Borough of Camden. It was opened in 1868 by the Midland Railway as the terminus of its main line. When inaugurated, the train shed by William Henry Barlow was the largest single-span roof in the world. The restored station has 15 platforms, a centre. St Pancras is owned by London and Continental Railways and is managed by Network Rail, high-speed domestic services to Kent, run by Southeastern, began in December 2009. St Pancras is often termed the cathedral of the railways, the train shed, completed in 1868 by the engineer William Henry Barlow, was the largest single-span structure built up to that time. The terminal is one of relatively few stations in England to feature multilingual signage, all notices are written in English. Ashford International station has similar bilingual signs, other stations with foreign-language signs include Southall, which has signs in Punjabi, Wallsend Metro station, and Moreton-in-Marsh. In March 2014, the public relations team commissioned a study of mispronounced words. St Pancras occupies a site orientated north/south, deeper than it is wide, the south is bounded by the busy Euston Road, with the frontage provided by the former Midland Grand Hotel. Behind the hotel, the Barlow train shed is elevated 5 m above street level, to the west, the original station is bounded by Midland Road with the British Library on the other side of the road. To the east, it is bounded by Pancras Road and is opposite Kings Cross station, the new northern half of the station is mainly bounded to the east by Camley Street, with Camley Street Natural Park across the road. To the north-east is Kings Cross Central, formerly known as the Railway Lands, a complex of intersecting railway lines crossed by several roads, St Pancras contains four groups of platforms on two levels, accessed via the main concourse at ground level. The below-surface group contains through platforms A and B, and the level has three groups of terminal platforms, domestic platforms 1–4 and 11–13 on each side of international platforms 5–10. The international platforms do not occupy the width of the Barlow train shed. The southern end of The Arcade links to the ticket hall of Kings Cross St Pancras tube station. The main pedestrian entrance is at the end of this concourse, where a subway enables pedestrians to reach Kings Cross station. There are several items of art on display to the public at St Pancras, at the south end of the upper level, a 9-metre high 20-tonne bronze statue named The Meeting Place stands beneath the station clock
St Pancras railway station
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St Pancras station from
Euston Road
St Pancras railway station
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East side entrance from Pancras Road (2009)
St Pancras railway station
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English and French overhead information board
St Pancras railway station
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Arriving on one of the Eurostar platforms (2013)
13.
Gare de Lille Flandres
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Lille Flandres is the main railway station of Lille, capital of French Flanders. It is a terminus for SNCF Intercity and regional trains and it opened in 1842 as the Gare du Lille, but was renamed in 1993 when Lille Europe station opened. There is a 500m walking distance between the two stations, which are also adjacent stops on one of the lines of the Lille Metro, the station was built by Léonce Reynaud and Sydney Dunnett for the CF du Nord. Construction began in 1869 and ended in 1892, Dunnett added the Hôtel des Voyageurs in 1887, and the rooftop in 1892. Gare de Lille Europe Euralille Media related to Gare de Lille-Flandres at Wikimedia Commons Timetables TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais Official website SNCB/NMBS
Gare de Lille Flandres
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The exterior of Gare de Lille Flandres
Gare de Lille Flandres
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The station concourse
Gare de Lille Flandres
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NMBS/SNCB train approaching Lille Flandres.
14.
Gare de Lille-Flandres
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Lille Flandres is the main railway station of Lille, capital of French Flanders. It is a terminus for SNCF Intercity and regional trains and it opened in 1842 as the Gare du Lille, but was renamed in 1993 when Lille Europe station opened. There is a 500m walking distance between the two stations, which are also adjacent stops on one of the lines of the Lille Metro, the station was built by Léonce Reynaud and Sydney Dunnett for the CF du Nord. Construction began in 1869 and ended in 1892, Dunnett added the Hôtel des Voyageurs in 1887, and the rooftop in 1892. Gare de Lille Europe Euralille Media related to Gare de Lille-Flandres at Wikimedia Commons Timetables TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais Official website SNCB/NMBS
Gare de Lille-Flandres
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The exterior of Gare de Lille Flandres
Gare de Lille-Flandres
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The station concourse
Gare de Lille-Flandres
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NMBS/SNCB train approaching Lille Flandres.
15.
Gare de Calais
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Gare de Calais-Ville is a railway station in the city centre of Calais, France. It is the station for commuter and short distance rail services in Calais. Another station Calais-Fréthun, which is where longer distance services depart from, is connected by a shuttle bus service. There is a smaller station at Gare des Fontinettes. There is a service bus from the Port of Calais to the station. Port of Calais Port of Dover Timetables TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais
Gare de Calais
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Calais-Ville station
Gare de Calais
16.
Gare de Boulogne-Ville
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Gare de Boulogne-Ville is one of the railway stations serving the town Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. The other station is Gare de Boulogne-Tintelleries, the station is situated on the Longueau-Boulogne railway, and is served by local TER Nord-Pas-de-Calais services from Boulogne to Lille, Calais to Amiens and between Boulogne and Dunkerque. There are Intercités services to Paris-Nord via Abbeville, Amiens and Creil, there is also a TGV service to Lille-Europe via Calais-Fréthun which takes 55 minutes
Gare de Boulogne-Ville
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Boulogne-Ville station
17.
Gare de Dunkerque
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Gare de Dunkerque is a railway station serving the town Dunkirk, Nord department, northern France. This part of French Flanders is near West Flanders in Belgium, DK bus *fr run buses over the Belgian border to Adinkerke connecting with Belgian railways NMBS and in De Panne with the Kusttram. The railway line across the border is out of use
Gare de Dunkerque
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Gare de Dunkerque
18.
Gare de Creil
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Gare de Creil is the railway station serving the northern French city of Creil. It is an important railway junction, situated on the Paris–Lille railway, the station is served by omnibus trains to Paris as well as Intercités services to and from Amiens. As well as Intercités trains, Creil is well served by TER trains, RER D and is part of the TER Picardie network
Gare de Creil
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Gare de Creil
19.
Gare de Pontoise
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Pontoise is the train station serving the city of Pontoise and the surrounding suburbs. The station is a building situated on Place Charles de Gaulle itself at the bottom end of Rue Thiers. Rue Thiers was built for the station and links Pontoises Medieval centre to the railway, the station was opened to link Paris to Dieppe, it is parallel to the line with a long footbridge stretching over the lines to the Canrobert bus station. Trains no longer serve Dieppe but is served by regional trains to Paris St-Lazare. Pontoise Station is also served by RER C which uses a new bridge built of the River Oise to increase capacity, List of stations of the Paris RER List of stations of the Paris Métro
Gare de Pontoise
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Platforms
Gare de Pontoise
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Rue Thiers links Gare de Pontoise to Pontoise Cathedral
20.
Gare de Persan-Beaumont
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The Gare de Persan-Beaumont is a railway station in Persan, France, near Beaumont-sur-Oise. It is located at the junction of the Épinay-Villetaneuse–Le Tréport-Mers railway, the station is served by trains of the Transilien line H and the TER Picardie. Since it is the last station before Picardy, the STIF fare structures no longer apply beyond it except on trains linking Pontoise, in 2002, the number of passengers per day was between 2,500 and 7,500. Persan-Beaumont is located on the original Paris–Lille railway line, that was opened on June 20,1846 by Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord and this line passed along the Montmorency Valley, and headed towards the Northeast at Saint-Ouen-lAumône, continuing through the Oise valley. In 1859, a direct line along Chantilly was opened. The Chemin de fer du Nord opened the line between Épinay and Persan-Beaumont via Montsoult on 5 April 1877, thus creating a link between Paris and Beauvais, and further to Le Tréport. The present station is the built on the site. The first, which dated to the opening of the line, was destroyed by bombing in August 1944 and it was replaced in 1955 by a building that proved inadequate, which was in turn replaced by the present station when the Paris - Beauvais line was electrified. 35 locomotives were maintained there, including 29 for suburban service and 4 for shunting, there were numerous employees both attached to the maintenance facility and staffing trains. The maintenance facility worked in tandem with the Joncherolles depot at Villetaneuse to maintain the locomotives on the suburban network serving Paris-Nord. In the final years of service, a pool of 141 TC locomotives were used. In 1968, the locomotives of the two depots pulled 264 daily trains for a monthly service distance of between 240,000 and 265,000 km. In 1967, they covered 2,838,000 km, the steam maintenance facilities have been demolished and replaced by a carpark. Persan-Beaumont remains a centre of the Paris-Nord Technicentre. The metre gauge line of the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Hermes à Beaumont formerly linked Persan-Beaumont to Hermes, last operated as a local interest line, it was partly closed in 1949, and the last section, from Persan to Ercuis, closed in 1958. List of SNCF stations Gare de Persan-Beaumont on the official SNCF Transilien site
Gare de Persan-Beaumont
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Gare de Persan-Beaumont
21.
Gare de Luzarches
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Gare de Luzarches is a railway station located in the commune of Luzarches, France. The station is served by the Transilien H trains from Paris to Luzarches, the daily number of passengers was less than 500 in 2002. The station has a parking lot with 83 places. The first commercial run of the Z50000 train started from this station on Sunday December 12,2009, busval dOise,95.01 and 95.10 CIF,46,48,50 and 121 List of SNCF stations in Île-de-France
Gare de Luzarches
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Gare de Luzarches
Gare de Luzarches
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The train station in about 1900
Gare de Luzarches
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Its platforms
Gare de Luzarches
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The first service of the
Z 50000, of the Francilien
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