Here on Rue Seguin it is quiet now. But imagine the sounds of early French locomotives. This street has a story deeply intertwined with France’s railway history. Rue Seguin is not named after the goat in Alphonse Daudet’s stories. That Seguin has his own street in Lyon. This Rue Seguin pays tribute to Marc Seguin. He was a pioneer of French railways.
Marc Seguin was born in 1786. He died in 1875. His life’s work revolved around the development of railways. In 1832, he established the first French passenger railway line. It ran between Lyon and Saint Etienne. The line arrived via the Mulatière bridge. It ended at the tip of the peninsula. Seguin oversaw the construction of this line. He had the longest tunnel in the world dug. Seguin also developed the first French locomotives.
Seguin’s contributions extended beyond railway lines. He founded a railway company. The company commercialized tickets. He also established a locomotive factory. Seguin invented the tubulator boiler here. This invention improved steam engine efficiency. In 1827, he bought 283,000 square meters of land. This was a premise for the district’s development. The Seguin brothers’ company established a water station here.
Marc Seguin was also an inventor of the suspension bridge. He built the first one in Annonay. Later, he built another between Tain and Tournon. This was south of Lyon. Seguin also deserved to have one of Lyon’s bridges named after him. He built them using the same model. The Kitchener and Gallieni bridges have since been replaced. The Île Barbe and Masaryk bridges still stand as Seguin bridges.
Rue Seguin reflects Lyon’s urban evolution. It stretches from Cours Suchet to Rue Casimir Perier. It runs south between Cours Charlemagne and the railway line. The street features a mix of buildings. There are heterogeneous houses and workshops. The east side has more residences. The west side has more economic activities. Concrete workshops alternate with early 20th-century buildings.
Near Rue Bichat is the Jean Monnet college. A three-story pylon forms the corner. It provides passage to Rue Bichat. Next is a long concrete bar. It has one story. Then the schoolyard fence. The college building is a curved three-story bar. At number 27, you can see the gold sign. It shows two lions and two scales. This is the Janier company sign. At number 22, a large granite cube. Its facade is mostly glass. It is new. The next plot is under construction. You can see the elevated railway line. It is on its stone wall. In 2013, the real estate company Immobilière des Chemins de Fer built two beige buildings. Galleries connect them.
After Cours Bayard, three workshops house societies. The street ends opposite the Charlemagne ice rink. It runs along the gymnasium with a glass facade. A rounded visor extends it. Opposite is a parking lot. The street ends with a long eight-story bar.
In 1827, the Seguin brothers contracted with the city. They ran the railway. They developed a water station. This was done after difficulties south of the street. In 1856, the water station was entrusted to the PLM railway company. The company discouraged access for a century. Then it filled it in 1947. At the beginning of the 21st century, many lots are being transformed.
Janier is a cheese shop on Rue Seguin. It is run by the Meilleur Ouvrier de France. Three warehouses bear the Brun, Maxime, and Janier Fromages signs.
Rue Seguin stands as a testament. It shows Lyon’s industrial heritage and its connection to the Seguin family. Next time you cross a bridge think of Marc Seguin.