The Gare de l'Est ("East station" in English) is one of the six large SNCF
termini in Paris. It is in the Xe arrondissement, not far from the Gare
du Nord, facing the boulevard de Strasbourg, part of the north-south
axis of Paris created by Baron Haussmann. It is one of the largest and
the oldest railway stations in Paris.
History
The Gare de l'Est was opened in 1849 by the Compagnie du Chemin
de Fer de Paris à Strasbourg (the Paris-Strasbourg Railway Company)
under the name "Strasbourg platform." This platform corresponds today
with the hall for main-line trains, and was designed by the architect
François Duquesney. It was renamed the "Gare de l'Est" in 1854, after
the expansion of service to Mulhouse.
Renovations to the station followed in 1885 and 1900. In 1931 it
was doubled in size, with the new part of the station built
symmetrically with the old part. This transformation changed the
surrounding neighborhood significantly.
At the top of the west façade of the Gare de l'Est is a statue by
the sculptor Philippe-Joseph-Henri Lemaire, representing the city of
Strasbourg, while the east end of the station is crowned by a statue
personifying Verdun, by Varenne. These two cities are important
destinations serviced by Gare de l'Est.
On 4 October 1883, the Gare de l'Est saw the first departure of
the Orient Express for Istanbul.
The Gare de l'Est is the terminus of a strategic railway network
extending towards the eastern part of France, and it saw large
mobilizations of French troops, most notably in 1914, at the beginning
of the World War I. In the main-line train hall, a monumental painting
by Alfred Herter, dating from 1926, illustrates the departure of these
soldiers for the Western front.
SNCF has started service on LGV Est Europeen from Gare de l'Est
on 10 June 2007, with TGV and ICE service to north-eastern France,
southern Germany and Switzerland. Trains are initially planned to run at
320 km/h (198 mph), with the potential to run at 350 km/h (217 mph),
cutting travel times by up to 2 hours.
Transport SNCF: International service to Luxembourg, Germany and Central Europe
via the Orient Express. Mainline trains servicing the eastern regions of France of
Champagne-Ardenne, Lorraine, Alsace. TER service to Champagne-Ardenne. Métro: Lines 4 (Porte de Clignancourt--Porte d'Orléans) and 5 (Place
d'Italie--Bobigny-Pablo Picasso): service to the Gare du Nord.
Line 7 (La Courneuve-8 Mai 1945--Mairie d'Ivry/Villejuif-Louis
Aragon)