Lille-Flandres station (French: Gare de Lille-Flandres, Dutch: Rijsel Vlaanderen) is the main railway station of Lille, capital of French Flanders. It is a terminus for SNCFIntercity and regional trains. It opened in 1842 as the Gare de Lille, but was renamed in 1993 when Lille Europe station opened. There is a 500 metres (1,600 ft) walking distance between the two stations, which are also adjacent stops on one of the lines of the Lille Metro.
Construction
The station concourse
The station was built by Léonce Reynaud and Sydney Dunnett for the CF du Nord. Construction began in 1869 and ended in 1892. The station front is the old front from Paris' Gare du Nord and was dismantled then reassembled in Lille at the end of the 19th century; an extra storey, as well as a large clock, were added to the original design. Dunnett added the Hôtel des Voyageurs in 1887, and the rooftop in 1892.
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