Gare Montparnasse

The station opened in 1840 as ''Gare de l'Ouest'', later being renamed. A second station was built between 1848 and 1852. On 25 August 1944, the German military governor of Paris, General von Choltitz, surrendered his garrison to the French General Philippe Leclerc at the old station. (see Liberation of Paris). During the 1960s, a newer station integrated into a complex of office buildings was built further down the track. In 1969, the old station was demolished and the Tour Montparnasse built on its site. An extension was built in 1990 to host the TGV Atlantique. ==1895 derailment==

The Gare Montparnasse became famous for the derailment on 22 October 1895 of the Granville–Paris Express, which overran the buffer stop. The engine careened across almost of the station concourse, crashed through a thick wall, shot across a terrace and smashed out of the station, plummeting onto the Place de Rennes below, where it stood on its nose. Two of the 131 passengers sustained injuries, along with the fireman and two conductors. The only fatality was a woman on the street below, Marie-Augustine Aguilard, who was temporarily taking over her husband's work duty while he went out to get the newspapers. She was killed by falling masonry. The railway company later paid for her funeral and provided a pension to look after her two children. The accident was caused by a faulty Westinghouse brake and the engine driver, who was trying to make up lost time. A conductor was given a 25-franc fine and the engine driver a 50-franc fine. Replicas of the train crash are recreated outside the Mundo a Vapor ("Steam World") museum chain buildings in Canela, Brazil. ==Train services==

From Paris Montparnasse train services depart to major French cities such as: Le Mans, Rennes, Saint-Brieuc, Brest, Saint-Malo, Vannes, Lorient, Quimper, Angers, Nantes, Saint-Nazaire, Tours, Poitiers, La Rochelle, Angoulême, Bordeaux, Toulouse, Bayonne and Granville. The station is also served by suburban trains heading to the west and south-west of Paris. • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Bordeaux – Dax – Lourdes – Tarbes • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Bordeaux – Dax – Bayonne – Biarritz – Hendaye • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Bordeaux – Agen – Toulouse • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Bordeaux – Arcachon • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Tours – Poitiers – Angoulême – Bordeaux • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Poitiers – La Rochelle • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Tours • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Le Mans – Rennes – St Brieuc – Brest • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Le Mans – Vannes – Lorient – Quimper • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Rennes – St Malo • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Le Mans – Rennes • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Nantes – St-Nazaire – Le Croisic • High speed services (TGV) Paris – Le Mans – Angers – Nantes • Discount High Speed Services (Ouigo TGV) Paris (Vaugirard.Montparnesse Hall 3) - Poitiers - Saint-Pierre-des-Corps- Angoulême - Bordeaux • Discount High Speed Services (Ouigo TGV) Paris (Vaugirard.Montparnesse Hall 3) - Le Mans - Laval - Rennes • Regional Services (TER Normandie) Paris (Vaugirard.Montparnesse Hall 3) to Granville with numerous stops • Regional services (TER Centre) Paris – Versailles – Rambouillet – Chartres – Le Mans • Regional services (Transilien) Paris – Versailles – St-Quentin-en-Yvelines – Rambouillet • Regional services (Transilien) Paris – Versailles – Plaisir – Dreux • Regional services (Transilien) Paris – Versailles – Plaisir – Mantes-la-Jolie • Regional services (Transilien) Paris – Versailles – Plaisir File:Gare Montparnasse, Paris - OSM 2020.svg|Map File:Paris - Orthophotographie - 2018 - Gare de Paris-Montparnasse 01.jpg|Aerial view ==Lines serving this station==

Adjacent metro station: • Montparnasse – Bienvenüe Nearby station: • Pasteur Image:Gare de Paris-Montparnasse DSC 0417 (49633325626).jpg|Concourse of the station Image:Gare de Paris-Montparnasse Platform 2009.jpg|Platform of the station ==See also==