Gare du Nord in Paris to be totally renovated
The Gare du Nord railway station in Paris is to be totally renovated, in a bid to impress passengers arriving from London, Brussels and other key European cities.
Issued on:
Work is to begin in the Eurostar part of the station this year and the whole project should be finished by 2017.
The announcement was by Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Development, Laurent Fabius at a gathering of tourist industry professionals on Thursday.
“Many foreign tourists arrive in France at the Gare du Nord, which has been improved recently but is now to be the subject of a special renovation programme”, said Fabius.
He went on to explain that the Paris city authorities are also studying ways to re organise traffic around the station.
“The Gare du Nord is Europe’s main railway station. It should bear comparison to Saint Pancras [station] in London. There’s a little bit of work to be done … there is still room for improvement,” said Fabius with a hint of humour, eliciting smiles from tourism professionals who welcome what they see as a long-overdue announcement.
France is the world’s number one tourist destination and Paris the world’s most visited city.
Daily newsletterReceive essential international news every morning
Subscribe