Saint-Gratien: station history
Served by: RER C.
Did you know?
A Val-d'Oise station opened in 1908 by the Compagnie des chemins de fer du Nord. In 1874 a decree had created a line linking the Saint-Ouen docks to the La Plaine Saint-Denis goods station; in 1904 it was decided to extend it to Ermont - Eaubonne station via Épinay-sur-Seine and Saint-Gratien. Until 1925, operation ran through a loop via Sannois and Ermont. The station was then a rail junction, at the branch to Sannois, and had a signal cabin.
Anecdote
The link to Sannois also let freight and military trains avoid the Ermont rail node; it is now stripped of track, but remains can still be seen. At the time, from Saint-Gratien it took less than 30 minutes to reach Paris-Nord, or even 19 minutes with a few direct trains. The station is now run by SNCF, accessible to people with reduced mobility, and offers Transilien and long-distance ticket machines, a waiting and working area and a 315-space car park.
Around Saint-Gratien
- Église Saint-Gratien, 10 m away — The parish church of Saint-Gratien, where Marshal Catinat, who died in the town in 1712, is buried.
- Lac d'Enghien, 850 m away — The natural lake of the neighbouring spa town of Enghien-les-Bains.