European Railroad Discussion > Lyon and Environs: Day Trippin' and Station Stops

Finally, last weekend, I got the time to get out of Lyon and do something interesting. I needed to use the remaining days on my Eurailpass, so I took a TER local train from Lyon out to Perrouges, a stunning hilltop fortress-like medieval town. Next weekend, I will be going to Switzerland to see relatives, so look forward to shots from the nation of the world's highest per capita train ridership (plus some of the most stunning vistas in the world, trains or no trains).

Without further ado, let's see some pics from the French countryside.

Photo 1: I began my journey at Part-Dieu, one of Lyon's two main stations and, like the other one, Perrache, pugnaciously ugly. I was rushing to get to the train and didn't have time to take a picture of it at the station, so here's a double-decker TER just like it at the Perrouges station, later in the day. Remember what I said about graffiti in Lyon? And I thought all European trains were graffiti-free...

Photo 2: The interior of the train. My Eurailpass was for first class (so that I could travel with my relatives, who are hoity-toity rich snobs, to Switzerland), which on a little local train basically means a red seat and a quiet ride (nobody takes first class on a TER)

Photo 3: Our first encounter with...uh, let's call him Jean-Marc, the cell phone. It looks like he's still sleeping, though it's almost noon.

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Rumbling out of Gare Part-Dieu...

Photo 4: A Duplex (double-decker) TGV, pretty much endemic to the Lyon area, and a TER like ours.

Photo 5: And the race is on! Single-level TER versus double-decker TER, leaving the station at the same time. We quickly overtook it.

Photo 6: Crossing the Rhône river in the Lyon suburbs.

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Those TER cars in photo 5 have a nickname, I just can't remember it. Whales? Zeppelins? Sausages?

Photo 7: One of many stops along the way.

Photo 8: A pretty station, albeit a design that is repeated for every station along this branch.

Photo 9: Another perspective of this station. I'm now kicking myself that I didn't take pictures of the identical Perrouges station, where I wouldn't have window glare.

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Photo 10: Crossing under the LGV (high-speed line) and the autoroute (superhighway).

Photo 11: Another perspective of the LGV, which immediately enters a tunnel on the other end of the bridge. In hilly terrain like this, the LGV often looks like a Dr. Seuss railroad.

Photo 12: Arriving in Perrouges.

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Returning from Perrouges, my ticket had me routed to Ambérieu-en-Bugey, seven minutes' trip from Perrouges in the opposite direction from Lyon. From there, I was to catch a nonstop express to Lyon.

Photo 13: The Perrouges platform in the late afternoon sun. The weather here is extraordinary.

Photo 14: The silent upper level of the double-decker TER.

Photo 15: Arriving in Ambérieu, where the Alps suddenly and dramatically begin.

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Photo 16: Looking towards the mountains from the Ambérieu platform.

Photo 17: Our train arrives, a different model. It was coming from somewhere in Switzerland, and on a beautiful Sunday evening, returning from the Alps to France's second city, there was barely room to slip another pair of skis onboard. Standing room only.

Photo 18: As is demonstrated. French people thinking "who is this weirdo taking photos in our hot and sweaty train"?

I'll be back in a few hours.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/12/15 12:14 by Torisgod.

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Photo 19: Jean-Marc the Cell Phone is now awake and perky.

Upon arriving back at Gare Part-Dieu in Lyon, I just had to see some TGVs. After all, if God made California as a refuge for Northwestians to flee to in winter, why did God make France if not for TGVs? (Maybe croissants.) I found that a TGV to Le Havre was about to leave, so I went upstairs to the platform, on the roof of the station building, to get photos of it. I soon found, to my annoyance, that a) the train hadn't arrived yet, and b) the platform was packed with people. However, when the train did show up, my pain was very much redeemed by the fact that it was in the very snappy brand-new white, red, and black livery, making this TGV set one of about 30 out of 500 (estimations) TGVs in France that are running around with the new paint.

Photo 20: The sleek TGV Duplex glides up to the platform. At left is a TER Région Rhone-Alpes.

Photo 21: I think that the new paint scheme really shows how sleek and modern the TGV is, or rather, makes it look sleek and modern when it is actually over 25 years old.

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Photo 22: Down at the back of the set, there weren't too many people.

Photo 23: If you wish to make paint comparisons, here are two TGV Duplexes in the traditional scheme, currently engaged in their natural mating behavior.

And now, I'm afraid, I have more Lyon Metro shots to show you. I'm sorry, but I'm just a rabid transit fan (heavily layered pun there) and the Lyon Metro is truly the most awe-inspiring subway system I've ever been on. And yes, there really are cool subway systems out there.

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The same weekend that I took the day trip to Perrouges, I had an appointment out in the Lyonnais suburbs middle of nowhere, necessitating a long ride on the relatively new Line D of the Lyon Metro.

Photo 24: The nearest metro stop to chez moi is Vieux-Lyon. While Vieux-Lyon is the medieval old town of Lyon, (it's where the previously documented funiculars have their base) it's home to one of the most modern Metro stations. It brings to mind a space terminal.

Photo 25: We try the Washington Metro mezzanine angle.

Photo 26: Yes, the Line D cars are orange. All the other lines' cars are red and white.

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Photo 27: We jump into hyperspace.

Photo 28: An interesting wall above the tracks, at a station along the way. Unlike the other 3 lines, Line D is automatic, which allows front-seat railfanning. Throughout most of this ride, there was a man playing an accordion on the train, adding a wonderful old-world French touch to the sterile and spaceship-like Metro.

Photo 29: Gliding into another station. At most of the stations, there were skylights or something similar, showing that the Lyon Metro is not very deep underground.

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Photo 30: French people give excellent names to their streets. This station is called Sans-Souci, meaning "without a care", because it is along the Rue Sans-Souci. Behind the ticket barriers is a sunlit wall garden beside the escalator, showing the depth or lack thereof.

Photo 31: Passing another train in the tunnel.

Photo 32: The Laennec station must be built into a hill, because there are windows to one side of the station looking out into the street.

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Photo 33: The colorful Mermoz-Pinel station.

Photo 34: My final destination: Parc de Parilly, an open-to-the-sky stop with interesting concrete workings.

Photo 35: A train gets ready to depart towards downtown.

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Photo 36: The colorful canopy of the Parc de Parilly station. Disconcertingly, the station was full of canned birdsong, which I guess is an artistic touch but I found kind of weird.

Photo 37: The platforms and the roof.

Photo 38: Looking across the tracks.

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Photo 39: The station is silent. And yet, full of canned birdsong in the middle of a gray suburban area.

Photo 40: A train arrives on the other track, heading further into the boonies.

Photo 41: And lastly, as I was leaving the metro at the Vieux-Lyon transit center, I just had to get a picture of the funicular.

I hope you all enjoyed this travelogue,
Tor in Only Lyon

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Great Stuff! Thanks for posting.

Thanks for posting looks very interesting.

NICE tour around France trains! Love the nose to nose shot!

Larry

This latest Carmillion color really looks cool on old TGV-Duplexes! Could you check if the surface was vinyl or paint? SNCF uses a lot of vinyls to cover their trains, making "repainting" easier than applying paint.

& thanks for posting!

Torisgod Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Photo 19: Jean-Marc the Cell Phone is now awake
> and perky.
>
> Upon arriving back at Gare Part-Dieu in Lyon, I
> just had to see some TGVs. After all, if God made
> California as a refuge for Northwestians to flee
> to in winter, why did God make France if not for
> TGVs? (Maybe croissants.) I found that a TGV to Le
> Havre was about to leave, so I went upstairs to
> the platform, on the roof of the station building,
> to get photos of it. I soon found, to my
> annoyance, that a) the train hadn't arrived yet,
> and b) the platform was packed with people.
> However, when the train did show up, my pain was
> very much redeemed by the fact that it was in the
> very snappy brand-new white, red, and black
> livery, making this TGV set one of about 30 out of
> 500 (estimations) TGVs in France that are running
> around with the new paint.
>
> Photo 20: The sleek TGV Duplex glides up to the
> platform. At left is a TER Région Rhone-Alpes.
>
> Photo 21: I think that the new paint scheme really
> shows how sleek and modern the TGV is, or rather,
> makes it look sleek and modern when it is actually
> over 25 years old.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 03/13/15 05:42 by McKey.

Gee, that makes the R train to Brooklyn look even worse than it always does (The R gets my vote as the most depressing transit line in the US). The architecture in those French stations is superb.