Gare du Champ de Mars

Gare du Champ de Mars (or Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel) is a railway station in Paris. The site has accommodated a total of five stations, the last of which in service for Paris' RER.

The station was originally built to receive goods necessary for the construction of the pavilions for the Exposition Universelle held in Paris in 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900 and 1937. The location was chosen as it was then a large piece of land devoid of buildings, facing the Trocadéro and the École Militaire. It was built on the street corner of the Avenue de Suffren and the Quai Branly.

The first station was built for the 1867 Exposition Universelle. This station was a terminus and the line ran from the Petite-Ceinture to the Champ de Mars. The station was demolished shortly after the Exposition.

A new station was built for the 1878 Exposition Universelle. The building was designed and built by Juste Lisch. It had four dead end tracks as well as four additional parking tracks. This enabled a greater functionality than the previous station.

The station was composed of a central metallic rooftop, filled with red bricks. Two side buildings (called pagodas) encompassed the passenger concourse which were themselves hidden behind canopies which extended onto the platforms. A buffet was built to the south of the station along the Avenue de Suffren.

Champ de Mars remained opened after the world fair and regained popularity for the 1889 World Fair. The Eiffel Tower was built next to the station.

In mid 1894, all passenger services ended to permit the demolition of all of the level crossings. A bridge over the river Seine to link the dead-end line to the Ligne d'Auteuil was built soon afterwards which meant that the station building had to be demolished. It was moved in 1897 and used as the station building for Bois-Colombes. The building is now listed.

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