Every day, Paris’ six railway stations welcome over 3,000 trains and more than a million travelers coming from France and all over Europe. The stations’ sizes are impressive: Gare du Nord is bigger than the Louvre or Notre-Dame de Paris. These railway stations are architectural landmarks and a model of urban planning despite the radical changes they’ve undergone since their construction in the middle of the 19th century. How did the railway stations manage to absorb the boom of travelers in just a few decades? What colossal works were necessary to erect and then modify these now essential buildings? From the monumental glass walls of Gare du Nord to the iconic tower of Gare de Lyon, to the first-ever all-electric train station, each has its own story, technical characteristics, and well-defined urban image.
Julien Bocher
as Narrator (voice)
Bertrand Lemoine
as Self - Engineer and architect
Stéphanie Sauget
as Self - Railway historian
Clive Lamming
as Self - Railway historian
François Loyer
as Self - Heritage historian
Georges Ribeill
as Self - Sociologist and railway historian
Patrick Cognasson
as Self - Railway historian
Marc Le Cœur
as Self - Architecture historian
Étienne Riot
as Self - Urbanism researcher
Didier Leroy
as Self - Railway historian
Véronique Veston
as Self - Heritage architect
