TGV East: Reinventing the Station District in the Centre of the Urban Community of Greater Nancy

A New Dynamic for the Metropolitan Area

Since June 2007 and the arrival of the TGV high-speed train, Paris is 90 minutes away from the centre of Nancy which see its vocation as showcase for the service and trade sectors confirmed. The Lorraine Region is also be equipped with an interconnecting TGV station in the vicinity of the regional airport, so that all Nancy residents can travel to the major cities of France and Europe without transiting in Paris, as well as reach Roissy Airport in 1 hour and 15 minutes.

The Nancy Train Station : The Lorraine Region's Premier Train station

Traffic
6.5 million travellers per year
40,000 through-traffic passengers each day
Served each day by 39 cross-country train lines and 86 TER regional lines

Main Non-Lorraine Destinations
Paris, Strasbourg, Lyons and Marseilles
-> 17 round-trips daily to Paris
-> 16 round-trips daily to Strasbourg and Germany

Main Exchanges in Lorraine
Metz, the Vosgian Valleys and Toul
-> 31 daily TERs to Metz and Luxembourg
-> 40 daily TERs to the Vosgian valleys

Reinventing the Territory around the Train Station of the Future

The Train Station Hub is an urban development project with a three-fold dimension :

Train Station District

Urban planning dimension : creating a new "flagship" quarter - creating a true "metropolitan area entry point" with the arrival of the TGV - closing the urban divide due caused by the railway line - restoring the city’s urban rationale from General Leclerc Bridge to Poincaré Bridge - reclaiming areas currently under redevelopment - reconditioning public areas in the city centre : place Thiers, République, Maginot and Alexandre 1er

Transport and travel dimension, making better used public areas 

-	a transport hub located Place de la République fostering inter-modality between trains, tramways, buses, taxis, bicycles and pedestrians
-	a public transport park
-	3 entry points to the station: Thiers, République, Saint-Léon
-	3 parking areas: Saint-Léon, Thiers and the future parking lot connected to the convention centre

Economic development and services dimension : improving the attractiveness of the city centre
The arrival of the TGV, the grouping of different means of transport around the station and the availability of land all represent new opportunities to:

-	establish new office and service development programmes
-	build a new trade dynamic
-	expand hotel capacity

The Urban Revival of the Train Station District

A commercial and service-sector hub spanning twenty hectares, the Train Station District holds a special place in the heart of Nancy. The high-speed train will give a new dimension to the neighbourhood.  Urban developments will offer easier access to the SNCF train station and welcome the TGV in a new look environment.

Saint Léon Station : a 3-Entrance Station

Inaugurated in June 2002, the Saint-Leon Entrance, the third entry point to the Nancy Train Station, now offers direct access to the platforms for travellers from the South and West of the city. The Saint Léon Entrance includes  : 

-	a 1,000 m² station area
-	a 2,200 m² public square
-	a 360-space parking lot
-	an underground drop-off area directly connecting to the station
-	shops and services in a 1,500 m² ground floor area
-	two buildings offering 5,500 m² in office space, home to such companies as IBM (regional headquarters), Transalliance (headquarters) and Kolb Bank.

In 2006, a footbridge will link Poincaré Street to the shops on the Saint-Léon Esplanade, and offer new pedestrian walking paths to Nancy residents. 

Place de la République: Creating an Intermodal Hub

A true public transport hubs, Place de la République is the interconnecting point for all modes of transport in Greater Nancy : regional trains and cross-country lines, urban and suburban buses, tramways, taxis and bicycles.

A 7,500 m² building will soon form an indoor connection between the train hall and the tramway hall, located on either side of Foch Bridge. It's boldly modern architectural design will be home to :

-	services tied to the SNCF Train Station (400 m²): information and waiting areas, press stands, bars, coatrooms, car rental stands, and more...
-	reception desks for the various urban and suburban transport carriers (600 m²): reception and ticket sales area, central taxi desk, local police, etc.
-	reception and information desks about the metropolitan area (300 m²): tourist board stands, information stands, bicycle rental and repair, new urban services...
-	shopping areas covering a total of 1,200 m²: fast food and speciality restaurants, small food shops, local products, etc.
-	office space intended for companies, covering nearly 3,800 m²

Place Thiers : Consolidating Its Status as Metropolitan Area Entrypoint

An entry point to the city when coming from the train station, this public area will undergo a complete overhaul and restructuring. The make-over will go hand in hand with a functional reorganisation :

-	redesigning Place Thiers, its immediate surroundings and access points, integrating qualitative treatment of the surface including plantations, a new public lighting system and specially-designed urban furnishings
-	access to facilities, shops and services
-	improved, secured pedestrian connections

Convention Centre : An Economic Development Tool and Vector for Attractiveness

Located in the heart of the new business centre and directly linked to the future TGV high-speed train station, the new 15,000 m² convention centre will offer, in 2011, functionalities in line with today's needs and greater accessibility, including :

-	2 auditoriums seating 900 and 300 respectively
-	3,000 m² of exhibition space
-	2 dining areas
-	15 meeting rooms
-	a 300-space parking lot

Outlook : New Spaces

Other discussions are underway on how to reorganise and bring out the most of the train station itself : extension, redesign or restructuring of the roads around the station, reconditioning the land currently occupied by the prison which is to soon be moved to the former Solvay quarries, and revitalising the land between the rail yard and Boulevard Joffre.