Railway station

In 2016, some parts of Sainte-Suzanne railway bridge, built between 1879 and 1881, 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 Sainte-Suzanne train station: a history

When it went into operation, the railway served two district lines, one from Saint-Benoît to La Possession and the other from Possession to Saint-Pierre (Order of 17 February 1882, Art. no. 1). This administrative organisation of the railway changed throughout its existence. The districts were redrawn several times.

Originally, Sainte Suzanne was a second class station. It was 13.2 metres long and 7 metres wide and its ridgecap was 6.7 metres high. There were three double-door openings on the trackside and, on the other side of the building, one double-door opening and two windows. The station had a waiting room, a luggage room, a ticket office, and an office for the station master and staff accommodation with two bedrooms. Built between 1879 and 1881, the masonry building was constructed in basalt cut stone with a shingled gabled roof.

After the island was hit by a cyclone in January 1948, the station was rebuilt and upgraded to first class. It was 17 metres long. There were four double-door openings on the trackside and one double-door opening and three windows on the streetside. The shingle roof was replaced by a sheet metal roof. Sainte-Suzanne station was located at Km 21 + 700 of the railway line.

Field walking surveys

It is possible to follow the line of the old railway along the coast in Sainte-Suzanne, between the former railway bridge over the River Sainte-Suzanne and the Bel-Air railway tunnel. The station is still visible on rue du Vingt décembre 1848 and on rue de la Gare. In 2014, the building was refurbished and converted into a district social action centre. No trace remains of the rail corridor which included both main and relief lines for stabling and marshalling freight wagons. The inscription "STE SUZANNE" is still visible on the eastern facade of the building.