Belfort-Montbéliard TGV station is a celebration of the traditions of local industry and ecomobility of the future. Work began in September 2009 and is set to finish by September 2011.

Inspired by a heritage of sheet-metal working, Belfort-Montbéliard TGV station is designed with a huge metal-lined hull, to catch the natural sunlight. On the inside, timber is used for the trim, a well-known local material, and the vast glass canopy will offer breathtaking views over the surrounding countryside and beyond - as far as the blue silhouette of the Vosges hills.

Functional excellence. The immense building features a single-level 3,000 sq m floor area, leading to the escalators which take passengers down to the platforms. And that's the big surprise - because Belfort-Montbéliard TGV is designed as a 'bridge station'. Underneath is a single platform that is 400m long and 15m wide, with four rail tracks, two on either side. The TGVs will run on the two inner lines, with the outer two reserved for trains that don't stop at Belfort-Montbéliard.

Green design is a key concern - starting from the car park. It is designed to hug the natural slope, with 550 trees, 1,400 shrubs and 43,000 perennial plants, and with pedestrian paths leading to the station. Renewable energies are also a key choice to ensure that the station is a sustainable project - wind, solar and geothermal power used. Underground heat will be drawn up via deep geothermal probes and heat pumps. Rain water and runoff will be collected and filtered through small plant-based filters, before flowing back into the drainage systems. 40% of the station's annual hot water requirements will be produced via solar heating and a photovoltaic membrane will generate electricity.

The multimodal transport offer at the station will draw together TGV trains, buses, taxis, cars, bicycles, pedestrian access and soon TER local train services on the renovated Belfort-Delle line - with a rational design for quick interchanges between different modes. The station will be fitted out with everything required by people with reduced mobility - disabled parking, lifts, sensory guidance routes, Braille and sign-language information.

Generation ecomobile! Belfort-Montbéliard TGV will see its first high-speed travellers arriving on 11 December 2011. 1.1 million passengers are expected every year - between 2,500 and 4,500 every day on the Rhin-Rhône service that will connect them to Paris and Lyon in 2hrs20mins or Marseille in 4hrs.

A model station Carbone ferroviaire : première