Lausanne-Flon station
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Lausanne-Flon
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| Metro and commuter rail station | |
M1 terminal platforms
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| Coordinates | 46°31′14″N 6°37′48″E / 46.520440°N 6.63000°E |
| Owned by | TSOL (M1), LEB, City of Lausanne (M2) |
| Line(s) | LEB, Métro M1 & M2 |
| Platforms | M1: Spanish solution, M2: side platforms, LEB: island platform |
| Tracks | 6 |
| Construction | |
| Structure type | underground |
| Platform levels | 2 |
| Disabled access | Yes |
| Other information | |
| Fare zone | 11 (Central Lausanne) |
| History | |
| Opened | 1877 funicular, 1991 (M1) |
| Rebuilt | 1956-58 (conversion to rack railway), 2000 (LEB), 2008 (M2) |
| Electrified | 1958 |
Lausanne-Flon is a railway and metro station in the Flon district of central Lausanne, Vaud, Switzerland and is the hub of the Lausanne Metro system. The station's initial building was also the first in the city to use electricity. A station rebuilding project was the subject of a design competition held in 1988.
A railway station in this area dates back to the 1870s. Plans were made for the building of an atmospheric railway between Flon, the main Lausanne railway station and Ouchy as early as 1871. Work started on the station site, associated goods facilities and the tunnel under Montbénon, in 1874. The station opened in 1877, and trains were initially powered by a steam-pumped hydraulic system, the engines using water brought 15 km (15,000 m) along purpose-built aqueducts from Bret Lake, north of Puidoux. This source of power was a precursor to the provision of electricity, and in 1882 the original Flon station became the first building in the city to have an electrical supply. Meanwhile, the Lausanne-Ouchy company used spoil extracted from the tunnelling of the line to cover the River Flon and create a new ground level. This was attractive to new businesses and warehouses were quickly built on the newly created land, owned by the Lausanne-Ouchy railway company.
Between 1877 and 1950, the only change at Flon station itself was the switch from atmospheric operation to funicular. Goods services at Flon were withdrawn in 1953, as Swiss Federal Railways opened a new goods depot closer to their own station. Otherwise, there was no significant change to the station until services changed from cable haulage to electric rack railway operation. Ready for the upgraded service, the station was substantially rebuilt between 1956 and 1958, with lifts provided to reach the streets above. However, the design retained many features from its past as a funicular terminus, meaning required doors on only one side.
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Wikipedia