Railway station

In 2016, parts of Saint-Denis railway station, built between 1879 and 1883, were identified and its position determined during field walking surveys. Discovered following a Réunion railway exploratory mission, these remains are among the oldest railway works still visible today.

The Saint Denis train station: a history

The Saint-Denis train station is composed of a central building – the original station built in 1882 for passengers – and two adjoining wings built in 1883 with spiral staircases. The Saint-Denis train station was a first-class station. On the platform and track side, the central passenger building has five double-leaf doors with semi-circular arches; on the streetside, there are three doors and two windows, all double-leaf with semi-circular arches, sheltered by a porch roof resting on six columns. The two wings on either side of the central building each have three double-leaf doors with semi-circular arches on the platform and track side and the streetside. The station had a first-class waiting room, a second-class waiting room, a luggage room, a ticket office, and the station master’s office. The building was constructed by the C^ie du Chemin de fer et du Port de la Réunion (C.P.R.), between 1879 and 1883. Build from basalt cut stone, the central building had a gabled shingle roof while the wings had hipped shingle roofs. Saint-Denis station is located at Km 38 + 800 of the railway line.

Field walking surveys

Along the coast in Saint Denis, near the Sentier du Littoral Nord, the former railway station still stands, along with several warehouses used by the C^ie du Chemin de fer et du Port de la Réunion. The rail corridor no longer exists and has been replaced by car parks. These remains are still visible near boulevard Lancastel, not far from the ocean.