Gare de Troyes

Around 1850, the creation of the Chemins de fer de l'Est line (Paris-Troyes-Mulhouse/Belfort) dictated a route that bypassed the town center. The track was laid on the outer ditches of the old ramparts, near the Ravelin water reservoir. A new station was built in 1857-58 to replace the "Embarcadère", terminus of the old Troyes-Montereau line (now the Espace Argence cultural center). The "salle des pas perdus", ticket offices and buffet are located on the first floor, while the central floor is reserved for the stationmaster's lodgings. A goods yard, workshops and sheds for 28 carriages, and two roundhouses, each able to hold 16 machines, completed the complex along the rue des Noës.
The railways experienced considerable growth. The Compagnie de l'Est invested heavily: two new steel-framed roundhouses were built at La Chapelle-Saint-Luc, and the site left vacant was used to construct four platforms serving seven tracks. Work on the large concourse covering them began in summer 1894. It drew large crowds of curious onlookers, fascinated by the boldness, scale and novelty of a construction using metal structures and glass: 14 single-span uprights for a length of 132 meters (6,413 m2).
The facade of the station, a listed historic monument, is composed of an alignment of semicircular bays topped by a balustrade that undoubtedly evokes the razed fortifications. In the center, the indispensable giant clock is finely sculpted. The entrance is adorned with a large wrought-iron marquee, designed by Gustave Eiffel. A new neoclassical passenger vestibule was built in front of the station in 1912. In 1982, the station was renovated, and a modern wing was added. A final restoration took place in 2003.