Paris1972-Versailles2003

I will take you south ,and home of family on wife’s side. We have been here many many times and have posts on several locations ,however, the train station is very memorable as believe or not came once by train to Toulouse ! See my other posts on transports here, The city is in the Haute Garonne dept 31 of the region of Occitanie. Therefore, this is my take on the Gare Matabiau of Toulouse !!!. Hope you enjoy the post as I.

Yes !!! I came here by train, It was a trip to meet alumnus from my aeronautical university working on the Airbus A380 plane, I stayed in the now close Mercure hotel right next to the train station. (see post), You have a wonderful train station Gare Matabiau located in the district of Matabiau near walking distance to city center; there are other stations to serve the TER Occitanie trains., A very nice train station, just crossing the allées Jean Jaurés or rue Raymond VI and you are in the City center in  5-10 minutes walking.The main regular intercité train lines are from Paris Gare d’Austerlitz , and the TGV from Gare Montparnasse, whic is from where I came.

The Gare Matabiau is located at 64 Bd Pierre Sémard, It sits on the lines from Bordeaux-Saint-Jean to Sète-Ville, from Toulouse to Bayonne and from Brive-la-Gaillarde to Toulouse-Matabiau via Capdenac. The primitive station was inaugurated on October 16 1856 , Since 1990, it has received TGVs from Paris-Montparnasse via the LGV Atlantique; this LGV ending near Saint-Pierre-des-Corps, the trains continue their journey on the classic Paris – Bordeaux line and serve Bordeaux-Saint-Jean. This route brings Toulouse back to 5 h 30 min from Paris in 1990, and since 2017 to 4 h 17 min ! Next to it in 1995, the Toulouse bus station was built. A major redevelopment of the station for the arrival of this LGV and the 3rd metro line and a project for a vast business center with a metropolitan vocation (Grand Matabiau, which will be located around this train station) are planned. The construction of the Halle des Transports is planned between 2026 and 2028, after the extension of the renovated North and South underground passages. The building will have access to the respective metro stations of lines A and C, as well as two accesses to the platforms. Connected to the Marengo-SNCF metro (line A) and buses from the Toulouse Tisséo network, it is close to the bus station which serves Toulouse-Blagnac airport in particular. The LGV Sud-Europe-Atlantique and Bordeaux-Toulouse (2024) will put Bordeaux at 1 hour, Paris at 3 hours and Lille at 5 hours. Toulouse has 9 other TER stations, including Toulouse-Saint-Cyprien-Arènes and Gallieni-Cancéropôle.

A bit of history I like tell us on the name of the Matabiau district that gives the name ,it comes from the Occitan mata buòu (“to kill the ox”). According to a popular legend, in the year 250, the bull responsible for the death of Saturnin, the first bishop of Toulouse, was killed nearby. In reality, it seems that the name of the district comes rather from the presence, in this place, of the slaughterhouses of the City.

The SNCF Matabiau train station and services : https://www.garesetconnexions.sncf/en/stations-services/toulouse-matabiau/services-shops 

The TER Occitanie at Matabiau train station: https://www.ter.sncf.com/occitanie/se-deplacer/gares/toulouse-matabiau-87611004

The Toulouse tourist office on getting to Toulouse:https://www.toulouse-tourisme.com/en/prepare-for-your-stay/venir-a-toulouse/

The Toulouse Grand Matabiau project on moving around : https://www.toulouse-grandmatabiau.fr/des-mobilites-pour-tous

There you go folks, a wonderful town to walk around, see the sights, eat the local cuisine ,and indulge in the future technologies, More than a City is like a second home for my visits, for family, and for the aviation alumnus in me, Again, hope you enjoy the post on the Gare Matabiau of Toulouse as I

And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all !!!