The major changes of the main train stations in Paris and other large French cities have become the focus of public policies. As a consequence, regional train stations seem to have been overlooked. However, they represent an important challenge in the daily life of millions of French people and they are becoming places of experimentation for implementing services. Caretaker services, deliveries of fresh vegetables and fruit, bicycle maintenance shop, office rentals, etc.: a variety of services is now available within these regional stations which turn them into pleasant and animated living spaces.
This report is about this new trend. It aims at providing local decision makers with landmarks and ideas to develop services in their train stations. It relates the first findings of projects in these stations, and then focuses on 8 different examples.