By 2027, commuters, residents and tourists at Place de la Gare will be able to make use of a large underground bike parking lot fitting up to 3,500 bicycles.

The CFL wants to encourage soft mobility and "make the bike-train combination as easy as possible for customers," said Marc Hoffmann, director of passenger traffic. Leaving one's bike parked safely before taking the train is part of that plan.

The country's largest underground bike parking lot will be constructed under Place de la Gare. "We want to do this in parallel with the renovation of our management building, which starts in May," says Marc Wengler, general director of the CFL.

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Les trains transportent en moyenne 400.000 vélos chaque année, estiment les CFL. / © Domingos Oliveira / RTL

While he does not reveal a timetable for the works, which should also establish a head office to accommodate 1,200 employees, he specifies that the lot will be completed by 2027.
The underground parking garage will be built on "several floors" and have "a capacity of around 2,000 spots", says Wengler. "But it is built in such a way that we can technically enlarge it," added François Bausch, Minister of Mobility.

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Le parking à vélos sous la gare d'Utrecht aux Pays-Bas est la plus grande du monde. Elle compte 12.500 places! / © Anadolu Agency via AFP)

"Technically" refers to the tiered bicycle racks which are commonplace in the Netherlands or Germany and which allow the bicycles to be stored one above the other. The system therefore doubles storage capacity, making room for 3,500 bicycles.

However, in comparison to the Netherlands, this parking lot is rather small. That of Utrecht station has 12,500 spaces. The CFL will work with Dutch specialists, who are great specialists in the field, says the minister.

Safe, closed-off parking

The parking will be safe and secure and allows for transport users to switch to the train, bus or tram at the same place.

Could the 2023 election put an end to the project? Those are the worries of Gust Muller, former president of the ProVelo cycling organisation. "It is written in the 2035 National Mobility Plan...and the CFL have received green light from the Ministry for Mobility to carry it out," assures Bausch.

The Place de la Gare itself will also undergo development, with "high quality urban planning", says Bausch. It is to become a "central square of the City".