After 8 years of study and work, it was in 1848 that Marseille was connected to the railroads, in particular to the PLM line (Paris, Lyon, Marseille). To build the station, land was chosen that still had the advantage of being undeveloped and close to the city center and its main thoroughfares, such as the Canebière. The plateau site offered considerable technical advantages for the engineers and architects of the time. Indeed, the railroad route bypasses the hills of Marseille, avoiding the challenges and high costs associated with tunnel construction.
In today's urban context, the station is positioned diagonally. However, in the 19th century, it was aligned with the old city gates and fortifications. In its early days, the station was oriented towards the Porte d'Aix. The first station is thought to date from 1852. It was rebuilt in 1891. The main entrance was from the south (on the Boulevard Maurice Bourdet side).
Access to the U-shaped station was not easy. There were three points of access.
- A ramp for carriages and cars
- by stairs
- And via the nearby cemetery (closed in 1876).
During reconstruction, the layout was rethought: the U-shape was abandoned in favor of an L-shape. It was also at this time that the question of accessibility arose. In 1911, the city decided to create a monumental staircase.
The station today: the Marseille-St-Charles hub brings together rail, road and urban transport to serve the entire region. Today, the hub irrigates all modes of public transport: 16 tracks dedicated to rail (TGV, Corail and TER), 20 coach stands at the bus station, 2 metro lines, 2 drop-off points, cab stands, shuttles and soft mobility.
Intermodality in figures: 45,000 passengers a day, 300 trains a day, 80 TGVs a day, 27 coach stands and 700 coach rotations a day, 785 parking spaces inside the hub, over 1,000 parking spaces in total (including outdoor spaces).
As part of the project for the new Provence Côte d'Azur line, there are plans to build an underground station beneath the existing station. This initiative is designed to transform the Gare Saint-Charles into a dynamic hub and facilitate the passage of transit trains, while eliminating its "dead-end" layout.
In addition, new tracks will be built. Not to mention the transformation of the station's surroundings as part of the Euroméditerranée project.
