Lyon-Perrache (Lyon)

Lyon has two stations used by long-distance and TER trains, this station, Lyon-Perrache and Lyon-Part Dieu.
The majority of the TGV trains to and from Lyon only call at Lyon-Part Dieu, the main exceptions are the TGV InOui services to and from Paris - when travelling from the French capital these trains call at Part-Dieu before going on to Perrache, so in the opposite direction they commence their journeys at Perrache and then call at Part-Dieu.
Some Ougio services to and from Lyon only use Perrache station and the Intercités trains to and from Nantes also call at both Part-Dieu and Perrache

The TER trains between Lyon and Bourg-en-Bresse, Clermont-Ferrand and Roanne, typically depart from and arrive at both Part-Dieu and Perrache.
Though when travelling between Lyon and St Etienne, Villefranche-s-Saone and Vienne, the faster services go to and from Part-Dieu and the slower services to go to and from Perrache.
The TER trains between Lyon and Annecy, Aix-les-Bains, Avignon, Dijon, Geneve, Grenoble and Valence typically only use Lyon-Part Dieu.

When travelling to and from Lyon on trains which call at both Perrache and Part-Dieu stations (those links go to their locations).

Use Perrache for:

• transfers to Line A of the Lyon Metro and if your location is on line C, as it connects with Line A - though see the notes below on taking the Metro from and to Perrache,
• transfer to Line 1 of the Lyon Tramway - if your destination is to the south of Perrache, or if your train calls at Perrache before Part-Dieu,
• transfer to Line 2 of the Lyon Tramway,
• if you will be transferring to and from a long-distance bus service - the Gare Routiere in Lyon is adjacent to Perrache rail station.

Use Part-Dieu for:

• transferring to and from line B of the Lyon Metro]
• transferring to and from line 1 of the Lyon Tramway if your destination is to the north of Part-Dieu, or if your train calls at Part-Dieu before Perrache,
• transferring to and from Tramway lines, 3, 4 and 7 - and the Rhone Express tram to and from St Exupery airport.

Lyon Perrache has three primary entrances / exits:

1. The newer 'Pavilion' entrance on the Place Des Archives, to the south of the railway tracks.
   Google Maps view
2. If you will be dropped off by a private car or taxi service, you may find yourself at what was once the station's main entrance on the street named Cr der Verdun Rambaud.
   From here an elevator and stairs lead up to the footbridge which spans the station - it provides one of the means of accessing the trains.
3. A footbridge connects the building known as the Perrache Multimodal Hub to Lyon Perrahe rail station.
   This building houses the long-distance bus / coach station in Lyon, the Gare Routiere, which confusingly is also named Lyon-Perrache.
   If you take the Metro line A to and from Perrache or a taxi - or when accessing the rail station from the area to the north of the station, you enter into this building.
   Ascend up to level 2 by using the escalator, where you will find the footbridge which leads into the rail station.

The access to and from Lyon-Perrache rail station has been transformed by the better by the opening of the 'Pavilion' entrance / exit on the Place Des Archives, which is on the southern side of the station.

The route to this entrance / exit is by a passage way under the railway track - it is by the rear of the trains when arriving from Paris or Lille.
The access to this passage both within the station and on the Place Des Archive is by stairs and elevators / 'ascenseur' - these are the only elevators which give access to and from the trains at Lyon Perrache.
There is also a sloping pathway on the Place Des Archives.

Use this Place Des Archives exit if you will be taking a taxi from Perrache rail station - of the multiple taxi ranks around Perrache, the one that is easiest to find is across the street from this exit.

To and from Perrache rail station by tram

Also use the entrance / exit on Place Des Archives if you will be taking a tram to and from Perrache rail station - the tram stop named Place des Archives, is both closer to the rail station than the stop named 'Perrache' and much easier to find!

Lyon-Perrache is now a less confusing rail station to use, thanks to the new access on the Place Des Archives - but the source of much of the confusion is that the station's entrance /exit used most often, is the footbridge which connects the rail station to the separate building - which houses the long-distance bus and metro stations, and is also called Lyon Perrache.

So the access to and from the streets to the north of Perrache station is by entrance / exit in this other building on the Place Carnot - so this 'entrance' can be signposted 'Place Carnot', but on signage more recently installed at the station, is it named the Rhone exit.

The north end of this footbridge is on level 2 of the the Perrache Multimodal Hub, the building which houses the bus station and metro station and the best avoided tram stop named 'Perrache'.
Escalators inside the building provide the access to and from level 2, but the multimodal hub is to be redeveloped.

The area in Perrache rail station where this footbridge enters the station building, is now named the 'Hall Central' and is where the Perrache station ticket desks are located.
In the lower level of this Hall Central', which can be accessed by elevator and stairs, are the car hire desks and the station's toilets and lost property office - Perrache station doesn't have a left luggage facility within the rail station.

The footbridge continues from the Hall Central towards the voies (platforms/tracks) - and this is where the station's Accueil info desk, 'Zen' waiting room and shops, food outlets are located.
There is also a dedicated waiting area for voies B - E, which are typically used by the Ouigo and TGV InOui trains.
Voies B and E are also served by two escalators, so logically one will lead up and the other will lead down - as well as stairs.
The other voies (platforms/tracks) in the main station building are linked to the footbridge, by stairs and only one escalator.
Note that there is no elevator access between the station and footbridge and the voies (platforms/tracks).

Voies (platforms/tracks) J and K, typically used by the trains between Lyon-Perrache and St Etienna are in effect in a separate part station.
It is linked to the footbridge across the station at its most southern end by an elevated passage way beside the railway tracks, which can be accessed from the footbridge by stairs and an elevator.
There is also a dedicated entrance to this passage way on the south side of the station - there are stairs and an elevator on the street named Rue Dugas Montibel, which leads off to the left, beside the station, from the Place Des Archives.

Perrache metro station isn't in the rail station building, it is located in the adjacent bus station building, which is accessed by using the footbridge above the rail station's voies (platforms / tracks).
So if you don't want to hurry, making the transfer between the voies in the main station and the voies in the metro station takes around 5 minutes.
If your final destination or starting point in Lyon, is in the area around Bellecour metro station and your train to and from the city calls at Part-Dieu station - heading to and from Bellecour on a combination of the Line B and Line D metro, connecting at Saxe Gambetta, is quicker and easier than using line A between Perrache and Bellecour.
When travelling to and from Vieux Lyon metro station, travelling on Lines B and D to and from Part-Dieu and connecting at Saxe Gambetta, is quicker and easier than travelling to/from Perrache on line A - and connecting at Bellecour.