Ascq station ( French: ''Gare d'Ascq'') is a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

serving the former village of

Ascq Ascq (; pcd, Ask) is a former commune on the Marque river in the Nord department in northern France, at seven kilometers from Belgium. Agricultural village until the Industrial Revolution, the former independent commune merged with others to beco ...

, now part of

Villeneuve-d'Ascq Villeneuve-d'Ascq (; pcd, Neuvile-Ask) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. With more than 60,000 inhabitants and 50,000 students, it is one of the main cities of the Métropole Européenne de Lille and the largest in area ( ...

city, Nord department, northern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

History

In nineteenth century the industrial revolution is developing industry in northern France. Ascq is linked to

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

with the construction of the railway station in 1865, and in 1885 to

Roubaix Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th century ...

. During the Second World War, numerous trains were going through Ascq and members of the resistance would regularly commit acts of sabotage. On 1 April 1944, after such an act of sabotage, the Nazis killed 86 men. This event is known as the

Ascq massacre The Ascq massacre was a massacre of 86 men on 1 April 1944 in Ascq, France, by the Waffen-SS during the Second World War. The 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend set out by rail for Normandy at the end of March, 1944. On 1 April, their train wa ...

. In the late 1990s, before the construction of a new Belgian high speed railway line,

Eurostar Eurostar is an international high-speed rail service connecting the United Kingdom with France, Belgium and the Netherlands. Most Eurostar trains travel through the Channel Tunnel between the United Kingdom and France, owned and operated sep ...

and

Thalys Thalys (French: ) is a French-Belgian high-speed train operator originally built around the LGV Nord high-speed line between Paris and Brussels. This track is shared with Eurostar trains that go from Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam to London via Li ...

trains going to

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

were going through Ascq station.

Services

The station is served by regional trains to

and

Tournai Tournai or Tournay ( ; ; nl, Doornik ; pcd, Tornai; wa, Tornè ; la, Tornacum) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies southwest of Brussels on the river Scheldt. Tournai is part of Euromet ...

(Belgium), and buses to

Orchies Orchies (; nl, Oorschie) is a commune in the department of Nord in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. Orchies is the biggest town of the Pévèle. It is especially known for its ''Musée de la chicorée'', the museum of chicory. ...

Ilévia Ilévia is the public transport operator for the Lille Métropole, the metropolitan area surrounding the city of Lille in northern France. It operates a mixed system, comprising buses, trams and a driverless light metro system. The company is a s ...

bus lines 13 and 73 serve the station.

Trains garage

The railway station hosts a little train museum in the trains garage (''halle aux trains'') animated by the AAATV association. It houses a steam locomotive 141 TC 51 and an electric locomotive BB 12004 restored among many other train materials.http://le-forum-du-n.forumotions.com/bourses-expositions-f12/portes-ouvertes-a-l-aaatv-ascq-t4646.htm Image:Locomotive 141TC51 ascq 2008 lb.jpg, The 141 TC 51 Image:Locomotive BB12004 ascq 2008 lb.jpg, The BB 12004

Gallery

Image:jielbeaumadier_ascq_gare1900.jpg, Ascq station, around 1900 Image:Jielbeaumadier_garedascq_2006.jpg, Ascq station, from east Image:Thalys amsterdam paris via ascq 1996 lb.jpg, An Amsterdam-Paris thalys goes through the station in 1996 Image:Trains belges ascq 2005 lb.jpg, Two Belgian trains in the station

References

Buildings and structures in Villeneuve-d'Ascq Railway stations in France opened in 1865 Railway stations in Nord (French department) {{NordPasdeCalais-railstation-stub

History

Services

Trains garage

Gallery

See also

References