Prochain point : lat="49.1593" lon="1.7943"
Old Station
An eagerly-anticipated innovation
A line of local interest...
This station is the first on a 12 km line connecting Magny-en-Vexin to Chars, a railway junction for joining Pontoise and Paris. The residents and municipality were extremely keen on the line, as they thought it would benefit the local economy. Hubert Débrousse obtained a 99-year concession to build and operate the railway, which was inaugurated on August 13, 1871. However, the line soon became the subject of various complaints: passengers bemoaned the lack of trains on certain days of the week and that they were slow. They also complained that there were connection problems at Chars and that the line was clogged in autumn when the beet convoys operated. A petition by users led to the line being bought out by the Compagnie du Chemin de Fer de l’Ouest in 1900. The complaints, however, persisted and the railway was purchased in 1909 by the Compagnie des Chemins de Fer de l’Etat. The line faced competition in 1913 from the new track linking Magny and Meulan, which made it easier to travel to Versailles and Saint Germain. The rise of the automobile and coaches signalled the end of passenger transport in 1952 and freight in 1987.
... and a station with typical architecture
The station consists of a building for receiving travellers and an annexe reserved for storage. It has two storeys with three bays in rough stone rendering. The ground floor also includes two adjacent wings. The roof space is lit by two oculi or circular windows. The ornamentation is basic: brick is used to emphasise the different levels and to frame the openings. The annex is built on the same principle but has no upper floor. The arrival of the train line also transformed the urban landscape: Rue de Beauvais, with its numerous summer houses built for Parisians wanting to relax in the countryside, is a good example.
