Interview
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Responsible for the development of station spaces at the SNCF, Gaëlle Le Roux returns to “Libé” on the “Place de la gare” program, which allows projects to be installed in former railway premises.
In Niolon, in the Bouches-du-Rhône, the old train station has become the Train Inc Café, an inn that employs people with Down syndrome. While this project has a special dimension with its inclusion approach, it is part of a national project to rehabilitate disused places – the French railway network has nearly a thousand stations with vacant premises – the “Place de la gare” program. Gaëlle Le Roux, deputy general manager of SNCF Retail & Connexions in charge of enhancing station spaces, defends a model that aims to be virtuous.
Why are there so many unoccupied train stations in France? And how do you solve this problem?
All stations have a different history, linked to railway operations and their territory. We do not oppose small stations and large stations, our know-how is to find the right project leader, whose ambition adapts to the challenges of the station and the expectations of travelers, but also of the inhabitants of the territories. The large cathedral stations of northern France, for example, are immense. We must find the leader who knows how to occupy large areas, with a robust economic model and ready to live at the rhythm of railway operations.
How the “Station Square” program
