History of the Aix-en-Provence TGV station

Perhaps you’re a traveler with a passion for history, or perhaps you’ve got a few minutes to spare in the lobby of the Aix-en-Provence TGV station to take an interest in its history. Because, like any train station, the Aix TGV station is a living place that deserves a little knowledge of its past. Who built it? Where is it located? What’s its nickname? In this article, we take a look at one of Provence’s busiest stations.

Who built the Aix-en-Provence TGV station.

The Aix-en-Provence TGV station was built by Jean-Marie Duthilleul and Étienne Tricaud. If we take a closer look at Jean-Marie Duthilleul’s profile, we’ll discover that this man has built many stations, but we’ll come back to that later. We’ll start at the beginning.

Jean-Marie Duthilleul was born in Versailles in 1952. He is an architect who attended the École de Paris-La Seine and an engineer who attended the École Polytechnique and the École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées. His father is an architect and so is his sister, so it’s a family affair.

In 1967, he turned his attention to urban planning, and in 1982 was appointed project manager for the Universal Exhibition. In 1997, he won the international competition for the Seoul TGV station, where he founded the AREP agency with Étienne Tricaud, as part of the SNCF group.

He was involved in the construction of numerous stations, including Paris-Montparnasse, Nantes-Sud, Avignon TGV, Valence TGV, Aix-en-Provence TGV, Lorraine TGV, and many others, such as Belfort, Besançon and Sevran. The list is by no means exhaustive, but in view of the many projects he has been involved in, this article would be too long.

His partner, Étienne Tricaud, began his career in 1985 in design offices, where he developed his approach to structural engineering. In 1987, he joined the SNCF on a number of station design assignments, a position he held until 1999. In 1997, he joined his sidekick in the AREP group, before becoming Chairman ofAREP‘s Management Board in 2015.

CONSTRUCTION OF THE TGV STATION.

Like many other stations, Aix-en-Provence’s TGV high-speed train station got off to a rocky start. Indeed, the SNCF was obliged to build the station over 16 km from the center of Aix, and restoring the rail network to reach the station in the city center would have cost 100 million less.

Initially rejected by the Juppé government, the project was relaunched after the change of government in 1997. Aix-en-Provence station was inaugurated on June 10, 2001, and ridership quickly exceeded SNCF expectations.

In 2007, the station was served by an average of 45 TGV trains a day. Later, local authorities introduced shuttle buses to link the station with surrounding towns. High car traffic levels have led to saturation of the parking area, right up to the access ramps. And with good reason: in 2010, the price of parking ranged from €18 to €90 for 48 hours.

TGV STATION BUILDINGS AND SERVICES.

The SNCF station has a passenger building. It has a sales area open every day. You’ll find both reception and catering services. Services are located to the west and departures to the north.

The station’s layout remains traditional, however, with 4 tracks and platforms on the two outer tracks. Like many stations, trains can pass through at speeds of over 300 km/h on the central tracks.

The Aix TGV station serves many cities, including Paris, Marseille, Toulon, Nice, Strasbourg, Rennes and Nantes. In summer, Eurostars to Amsterdam and Brussels are also available.

CAB STAND.

Aix-en-Provence railway station has its own private cab rank, just like many other stations. It’s located right in front of the station and lets you take a cab to Aix-en-Provence, Marseille or any other destination.

By the way, did you know that in 1963 the Paris City Council abolished the right to transfer parking permits for craftsmen? But that same year, the Cour de Cassation overturned a ruling by the Cour d’Aix-en-Provence, recognizing the right to transfer in return for a fee.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this article and learned something new about our Aix-en-Provence TGV station. We look forward to seeing you aboard our cab for your vacation or business trip, and wish you a pleasant day. If you would like to know the cab fare for Aix-en-Provence TGV station, click here.