REPORT. "It's calm here, it's like relaxation": SNCF is testing a space at Gare de l'Est designed for autistic children and adults.

Holiday departures with crowds of travelers in train stations can quickly become hellish, especially for people with autism spectrum disorder. To help them travel more peacefully, the SNCF is launching an experiment this summer at the Gare de l'Est in Paris.

Passengers running through the crowded station hall, the piano melody on the left, the TGV arriving on the right, the incessant announcements over the loudspeakers. At the time of summer holidays and big departures , this excess of information can disorient people with autism spectrum disorder. Like Marjorie, a little lost in the middle of the crowd. "It's the noise... , she explains. When there are people talking too much on the phone, it hurts the ears. Suitcases, strollers, laughing babies, I can't stand it too much," she sighs.

She prefers to take refuge in the new, quiet space at Gare de l'Est, right next to platform 3, at the back of the disabled passenger assistance area. It is accessible simply by showing your train ticket to an SNCF agent.

Autistic people can stay for a maximum of two hours. "When you enter this space, you immediately find yourself in a cozy, fairly subdued atmosphere ," explains Elodie Andriot, accessibility expert at SNCF. "You're cut off from the noise of the station."

"Even someone who might have quite severe migraines can come here to rest while waiting for their train."

Elodie Andriot, accessibility expert at SNCF

to franceinfo

The development of this quiet space cost 5 000 euros to the SNCF. The room is very small, there are no more than three passengers at a time to maintain maximum calm. And everything has been designed for people with autism. : the tinted windows to soften the light, the cocoon-shaped armchair, the bubble lamp that changes color to refocus her attention, and the sensory paintings with different textures. Suddenly, Marjorie breathes better : "There's nothing here, it's calm. There are no suitcases, there's nothing. It's like relaxation, and I really like it here."

Sébastien, the educator accompanying him, points to the air conditioner on the ceiling. "That's also very important because people who are being treated for their disorders are the first victims of the heat ," says the educator. "So it's also interesting to have a space like this in train stations during heatwaves and especially when people are leaving for vacation."

He also speaks of it as real progress for people with invisible disabilities. : "Someone who arrives at the station with a wheelchair is immediately identified, and then there is a service around them. Someone with a non-visible disability, nothing happens for them, they will be in an interaction with able-bodied people even though they don't have the means to do so. It can be very violent. The idea of ​​this type of place is to be able to calm down and leave again. Because the goal, after all, is to travel."

SNCF will be piloting this quiet space throughout the summer at Gare de l'Est. Based on user feedback, it plans to create more spaces in 2026.