| Gare de Paris-Montparnasse Train |
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|---|---|
 Montparnasse exterior |
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| Station statistics | |
| Lines | LGV Atlantique Corail Intercités TER Centre and Basse Normandie |
| Other information | |
| Opened | 10 September 1840 |
| Owned by | RFF / SNCF |
| Traffic | |
| Passengers () | 50 million |
The Gare Montparnasse is one of the six large terminus train stations of Paris, located in the Montparnasse area, in the XIVe arrondissement. The station was opened in 1840, and rebuilt completely in 1969.[1] A steam train crashed through the station in 1895; there is a well-known photograph of the event, and full scale reproductions outside a museum chain in South America.[2]
The station is used for the intercity TGV trains to destinations in the west and south-west of France including Tours, Bordeaux, Rennes and Nantes. Additionally, it is served by several suburban and regional services on the Transilien Paris – Montparnasse routes. There is also a metro station, and a high-speed moving walkway.[3]
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History
The original station opened in 1840, and was named Gare de l'Ouest[4], before later being renamed. A second station was built between 1848 and 1852.
On 25 August 1944, the German military governor of Paris, General von Choltitz, surrendered his garrison to the French General Philippe Leclerc at the old train station, after disobeying Adolf Hitler's direct order to destroy the city (see Liberation of Paris).
During the 1960s, a newer station integrated into a complex of office buildings was built. In 1969, the old station was torn down and the Tour Montparnasse built on its spot. An extension was built in 1990 to host the TGV Atlantique.
1895 derailment
The Gare Montparnasse became famous for a derailment on 22 October 1895 of the Granville-Paris Express that overran the buffer stop. The engine careered across almost 30 metres (98 ft) of the station concourse, crashed through a 60-centimetre (24 in) thick wall, shot across a terrace and sailed out of the station, plummeting onto the Place de Rennes 10 metres (33 ft) below, where it stood on its nose. All on board the train survived, five sustaining injuries: two passengers, the fireman and two crewmembers; however, one woman on the street below was killed by falling masonry.[5] The accident was caused by a faulty Westinghouse brake and the engine drivers who were trying to make up for lost time.[6] The conductor incurred a 25 franc penalty and the engine driver a 50 franc penalty; he was also sent to prison for two months.
The picture of the locomotive standing on its nose appears on the cover of the album Lean into It from the hard rock band Mr. Big.
The same picture also appears on the cover of the textbook "An Introduction to Error Analysis" second edition by John R. Taylor.
The story of the train crash and the picture feature in the 2007 children's novel The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick. Much of the story is set in and around Gare Montparnasse.
Replicas of the train crash are recreated outside the Mundo a Vapor ("Steam World") museum chain buildings in Brazil, at the southernmost state, Rio Grande do Sul, in the city of Canela.[7]
Regional lines serving this station
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Dreux
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Mantes-la-Jolie
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Montfort l'Amaury-Méré
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Plaisir Grignon
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Rambouillet
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Sèvres Rive Gauche
- SNCF Gare Montparnasse - Versailles-Chantiers
Adjacent metro station:
Nearby station:
Travelling between the Gare Montparnasse and other Paris main line stations
- Gare du Nord and Gare de l'Est: take Métro Line 4
- Gare Saint-Lazare: take Métro Line 12 or 13
- Gare de Lyon and Gare d'Austerlitz: take bus 91
See also
- Transportation in France
- List of stations of the Paris RER
- List of stations of the Paris Métro
- Gare d'Austerlitz
- Gare de l'Est
- Gare de Lyon
- Gare du Nord
- Gare Saint-Lazare
References
- ^ Stations of the world. Retrieved: Wednesday, March 04th 2009
- ^ Train Wreck Replica, retrieved 4 March 2009
- ^ Walkway propels Paris metro into future - BBC article on the high-speed travelator
- ^ Musee Orsay, retrieved 9 July 2009
- ^ Danger Ahead, retrieved 4 march 2009
- ^ Let's pause for a station brake on Failure Magazine
- ^ The Trainwreck Industry, retrieved 4 March 2009
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gare de Paris-Montparnasse |
- Gare Montparnasse- current photographs and of the years 1900.
- Satellite image from Google Maps
- Mundo a Vapor Museum The Brazilian museum which contains the 1895 derailment accident replica.
Coordinates: 48°50′24″N 2°19′07″E / 48.84°N 2.31861°E
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