Architect Christian de Portzamparc proposes a new elevated maglev train that would run above Paris peripherique freeway. It is one of 10 new master plans under review. (Atelier Christian de Portzamparc/ The New York Times)

Among the most audacious is de Portzamparc's plan, which proposes demolishing both the Gare du Nord and the Gare de l'Est and replacing them with a single massive European train station just outside the city center. The station would link to the Eurostar train lines to London and Brussels, as well as to a new elevated maglev train that would run above the peripherique. It would also anchor a towering new global business district, a rival to La Defense.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/17/arts/design/17paris.html?scp=1&sq=Paris&st=cse