Athis-Mons: station history
Served by: RER C.
Did you know?
A station in the Essonne belonging to the SNCF and served by RER line C, opened with the Paris to Orléans line, which came into service on 20 September 1840 under the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans. The "Petit-Mons station" opened on a trial basis on 1 April 1841, at the place of that name where a level crossing had been built and then an inn set up. The company had at first planned no station; it accepted the stop after an initial refusal, thanks to a revenue guarantee offered by a landowner.
Anecdote
The present building, built between 1905 and 1908, has a central block with three openings and one floor under a gabled roof, flanked by two flat-roofed wings, with a mosaic frieze typical of Paris-Orléans buildings. At first the level-crossing keeper, Jean-Baptiste-Marie Rivière, also acted as ticket clerk. In 1843 the tariff included a supplement of 0.50 franc for carrying dogs, whatever the distance. In January 1910 the station square was flooded in the great flood of the Seine, and in 2000 the SNCF renovated the station and fitted the Transilien logo.
Around Athis-Mons
- Observatoire Camille-Flammarion de Juvisy, 2200 m away — An observatory founded by the astronomer Camille Flammarion, in Juvisy-sur-Orge.