The Gare de l'Est (; English: "Station of the East" or "East station"), officially Paris Est, is one of the seven large mainline
railway station termini in
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
,
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
. It is located in the
10th arrondissement, not far southeast from the
Gare du Nord
The Gare du Nord (; ), officially Paris Nord, is one of the seven large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. The station is served by trains that run between the capital and northern France via the Paris–Lille railway, as well ...
, facing the
Boulevard de Strasbourg, part of the north–south axis of Paris created by
Georges-Eugène Haussmann.
Opened in 1849, it is currently the fifth-busiest of the six main
railway stations in Paris before the
Gare d'Austerlitz. The Gare de l'Est is the western terminus of the
Paris–Strasbourg railway and
Paris–Mulhouse railway which then proceeds to
Basel
Basel ( ; ), also known as Basle ( ), ; ; ; . is a city in northwestern Switzerland on the river Rhine (at the transition from the High Rhine, High to the Upper Rhine). Basel is Switzerland's List of cities in Switzerland, third-most-populo ...
,
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
.
History
The Gare de l'Est was opened in 1849 by the
Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de Paris à Strasbourg (Paris–Strasbourg Railway Company) under the name "Strasbourg platform" (''Embarcadère de Strasbourg''); an official inauguration with President
Louis Napoléon Bonaparte took place the next year. The platform corresponds today with the hall for main-line trains. Designed by architect François Duquesnay, it was renamed the "Gare de l'Est" in 1854, after the expansion of service to
Mulhouse
Mulhouse (; ; Alsatian language, Alsatian: ''Mìlhüsa'' ; , meaning "Mill (grinding), mill house") is a France, French city of the European Collectivity of Alsace (Haut-Rhin department, in the Grand Est region of France). It is near the Fran ...
.
Renovations followed in 1885 and 1900, as part of
Haussmann's renovation of Paris
Haussmann's renovation of Paris was a vast public works programme commissioned by French Emperor Napoleon III and directed by his prefect of the Seine, Georges-Eugène Haussmann, between 1853 and 1870. It included the demolition of medieval ...
. 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 neighbourhood significantly. At the top of the west facade of the Gare de l'Est is a statue by the sculptor
Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire, representing the city of
Strasbourg
Strasbourg ( , ; ; ) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture and largest city of the Grand Est Regions of France, region of Geography of France, eastern France, in the historic region of Alsace. It is the prefecture of the Bas-Rhin Departmen ...
, while the east end of the station is crowned by a statue personifying
Verdun
Verdun ( , ; ; ; official name before 1970: Verdun-sur-Meuse) is a city in the Meuse (department), Meuse departments of France, department in Grand Est, northeastern France. It is an arrondissement of the department.
In 843, the Treaty of V ...
, 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
The ''Orient Express'' was a long-distance passenger luxury train service created in 1883 by the Belgian company ''Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits'' (CIWL) that operated until 2009. The train traveled the length of continental Europe, w ...
'' for
Istanbul
Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...
.
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
World War I
World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
. In the main-line train hall, a monumental painting by
Albert Herter, ''
Le Départ des poilus, août 1914'' dating from 1926, illustrates the departure of these soldiers for the Western front. The SNCF started
LGV Est Européenne services from the Gare de l'Est on 10 June 2007, with
TGV and
Intercity-Express
Intercity Express (commonly known as ICE () and running under this Train categories in Europe, category) is a high-speed rail in Germany, high-speed rail system in Germany. It also serves destinations in Austria, France, Belgium, Switzerland an ...
(ICE) services to Northeastern France, Luxembourg, 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.
Train services
The following services currently call at Paris-Est:
*High speed services (''TGV inOui'' )
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
Est –
Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
*High speed services (''TGV inOui'' )
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
Est –
Reims
Reims ( ; ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French Departments of France, department of Marne (department), Marne, and the List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 12th most populous city in Fran ...
–
Charleville-Mézières –
Sedan
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – Champagne Adrennes TGV – Chalons-en-Champagne – Bar-le-Duc
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – (Champagne Ardennes TGV/Meuse TGV) – Nancy
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – Nancy – Epinal – Remiremont
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – Nancy – Saint-Dié-des-Vosges
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – Nancy – Strasbourg
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – (Meuse TGV) – Metz
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – Metz – Thionville – Luxembourg
*High speed services ''TGV/ICE'' Paris Est – Saarbrücken – Kaiserslautern – Mannheim – Frankfurt
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – (Saverne) – Strasbourg
*High speed services ''TGV'' Paris Est – Strasbourg – Colmar
*High speed services ''TGV/ICE'' Paris Est – Strasbourg – Karlsruhe – Stuttgart
*High speed services ''TGV/ICE'' Paris Est – Strasbourg – Karlsruhe – Stuttgart – Ulm – Augsburg – Munich
*High speed services ''
ICE
Ice is water that is frozen into a solid state, typically forming at or below temperatures of 0 ° C, 32 ° F, or 273.15 K. It occurs naturally on Earth, on other planets, in Oort cloud objects, and as interstellar ice. As a naturally oc ...
'' Paris Est – Strasbourg – Karlsruhe – Frankfurt – Berlin
*Night train
Nightjet Paris Est – Frankfurt – Berlin (only Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays)
*Night train
Nightjet Paris Est – Munich Ost – Vienna (only Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays)
*Regional services ''
TER Grand Est'' (C2) Paris Est – Chateau-Thierry – Épernay – Chalons-en-Champagne – St Dizier
*Regional services ''Transilien'' Paris Est – Meaux – Chateau Thierry
*Regional services ''Transilien'' Paris Est – Meaux – La Ferte-Milon
*Regional services ''Transilien'' Paris Est – Chelles Gournay – Meaux
*Regional services ''Transilien'' Paris Est – Tournan – Coulommiers
*Regional services ''Transilien'' Paris Est – Longueville – Provins
See also
*
List of Paris railway stations
*
List of stations of the Paris RER
*
List of stations of the Paris Métro
References
External links
Paris Est
{{DEFAULTSORT:Est
Railway stations in France opened in 1849
Buildings and structures in the 10th arrondissement of Paris
Railway termini in Paris
SNCF