First look at new modern train station set to open in Europe as part of mega £29billion rail project
A HUGE new train station will open in the world’s most popular city break destination later this month.
Villejuif-Gustave-Roussy station in Paris will finally open on January 18.
The French station was scheduled to open in December 2024; however, the opening date was postponed.
It’s part of the Grand Paris Express project, which will see €36billion (£29.8billion) spent on introducing four new metro lines to the capital, as well as adding eight stations on a pre-existing line.
Seven new train stations opened on Line 14 last June, before the French capital hosted the Olympics and Paralympics in the summer.
Villejuif-Gustave-Roussy station will be the last station to open as part of the extension.
The huge new train station spans across nine levels and features 32 escalators and 16 lifts.
Its deepest level is nearly 50m underground and provides access to its two platforms.
Villejuif-Gustave-Roussy station was designed by architecture firm, Dominique Perrault.
The French station has a glass roof as well as ceiling artwork by Chilean artist Iván Navarro, which features 58 illuminated panels.
These features make the station look ultra-modern.
It didn’t open last summer because additional construction work was taking place to connect the station to Line 15.
Line 15 is one of the future metro lines that’s set to open next summer.
Stretching for 30km, Line 14 is now the longest metro line in the Paris region, with the route starting from Saint-Denis – Pleyel in the north and Orly Airport in the south.
At the end of last year, Paris was named the world’s most popular city break destination by eDreams ODIGEO.
According to the research, the French capital attracted more visitors than any other in 2024.
And Paris isn’t the only city in Europe that’s getting a new train station.
At the end of last year, a new £384million train station opened in a major city – and it looks like something from Star Trek.
Belgium’s Mons Station finally opened, decades after it was first announced.
It was designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, also behind the City of Arts and Sciences in Valencia and the World Trade Center Transportation Hub in New York.
Running years behind schedule—it had hoped to open by 2012—it finally opened at the end of last year.
Sun Travel's favourite train journeys in the world
Sun Travel's journalists have taken their fare share of train journeys on their travels and here they share their most memorable rail experiences.
Davos to Geneva, Switzerland
“After a ski holiday in Davos, I took the scenic train back to Geneva Airport. The snow-covered mountains and tiny alpine villages that we passed were so beautiful that it felt like a moving picture was playing beyond the glass.” – Caroline McGuire
Tokyo to Kyoto by Shinkansen
“Nothing quite beats the Shinkansen bullet train, one of the fastest in the world. It hardly feels like you’re whizzing along at speed until you look outside and see the trees a green blur. Make sure to book seat D or E too – as you’ll have the best view of Mount Fuji along the way.” Kara Godfrey
London to Paris by Eurostar
“Those who have never travelled on the Eurostar may wonder what’s so special about a seemingly ordinary train that takes you across the channel. You won’t have to waste a moment and can tick off all the top attractions from the Louvre to the Champs-Élysées which are both less than five kilometres from the Gare du Nord.” – Sophie Swietochowski
Glasgow to Fort William by Scotrail
“From mountain landscapes and serene lochs to the wistful moors, I spent my three-hour journey from Glasgow to Fort William gazing out the window. Sit on the left-hand side of the train for the best views overlooking Loch Lomond.” – Hope Brotherton
Beijing to Ulaanbatar
“The Trans-Mongolian Express is truly a train journey like no other. It starts amid the chaos of central Beijing before the city’s high-rises give way to crumbling ancient villages and eventually the vast vacant plains of Mongolia, via the Gobi desert. The deep orange sunset seen in the middle of the desert is among the best I’ve witnessed anywhere.” – Ryan Gray
Another more modern beauty is Liège-Guillemins station, also in Belgium, which has a multicoloured glass roof and even features in some Hollywood blockbusters.
Here’s another new train station set to open in Europe in 2028.