Gare de La Rochelle is the main railway station serving La Rochelle. The station building, which includes a 45-metre-tall clock tower, was built in 1922 by Pierre Esquié for the CF de l'Etat replacing the older building. The railway station is well known for the "Danseurs au ballon" painted on the ceiling by Emile Sourice and Nicus Georget, 2 local artists. The station was renovated by Franck Beck and Luc Mouret in the early 1990s for the arrival of the TGV Atlantique.

La Rochelle is linked to Poitiers, Tours, Bordeaux and Paris as well as regional (TER) services to other towns in Nouvelle-Aquitaine, such as Angoulême and Niort. There are both TGV and TER rail services serving La Rochelle station.

The following train services serve the station as of January 2021:

• intercity services (Intercités) Nantes - La Rochelle - Bordeaux

Preceding station	SNCF			Following station
Surgères towards Montparnasse		TGV		Terminus
Luçon towards Nantes		Intercités		Rochefort towards Bordeaux
Preceding station	TER Nouvelle-Aquitaine			Following station
Terminus		14		La Jarrie towards Poitiers
		15		Châtelaillon towards Bordeaux
La Rochelle-Porte Dauphine Terminus		15U		Aytré-Plage towards Rochefort
Preceding station	TER Pays de la Loire			Following station
Luçon towards Nantes		9		Terminus

• La Rochelle station at "Gares & Connexions", the official website of SNCF (in French)
• Photograph from 1989

46°9′10″N 1°8′44″W / 46.15278°N 1.14556°W / 46.15278; -1.14556