In the middle of a forest, 15 km from Besançon, work on the Besançon Franche-Comté TGV station is underway. You will hardly see it, as it will be partially underground and its roof will be covered with vegetation. Its stone frontage will contain small slits like a Vauban fortress. Let's go inside.

It's secret is this: 75% of its energy consumption will be supplied from renewable energy. The wood boiler room will be the pride of the whole Franche-Comté region's timber industry. 300 sq m of photovoltaic solar panels on the roof will provide 38% of the electricity and a solar boiler will provide 30% of the hot water.

A multimodal station. Express TGV and TER connections, access to buses at the end of platforms, drop-off points for cars and taxis, dedicated motorbike and bicycle parking and footpaths - welcome to the exchange hub! The 1000 space car park deserves a special mention. It was designed with a partner that you wouldn't expect to be getting involved with road construction - the French National Forest Agency. Of the 306 trees counted here, the Agency designated 188 for preservation, and the SNCF followed their expert advice.

First HQE® certified station. All the HQE® framework (French high environmental quality certification) criteria have been carefully followed during the design phase, ensuring that the building accords with its environment, uses sustainable energy management, and that construction work has a low environmental impact. The approach was validated in late 2009 by an accredited body that certified this next-generation station. A huge success for Gares & Connexions!

On the Rhin-Rhône line... The new Besançon Franche-Comté TGV station will open on the same day as the Rhin-Rhône line on 11 December 2011. Besançon will then be 1 hr 40 from Strasbourg, 2 hr 05 from Paris, 1 hr 55 from Lyon and 3 hr 35 from Marseille. Which will mean it sees over a million passengers a year.