[1] Few residents of Gières even knew of its existence and after many years of being neglected, in 1982 the Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français (SNCF) decided to close it, like it would do to any other station in a deserted region.

But then William Lachenal, a member of the Association pour le Développement des Transports en Commun, a sustainable-development association, decided to distribute pamphlets to every household in Gières informing the inhabitants about the station and the possibility of using it to buy there tickets, even for departures from other stations.

To further help the station's development, its name was changed to Gières-Campus due to its proximity (1 km) to the main campus of Grenoble's four universities.

Also, a free shuttle bus was put in place between the station and the campus and the platforms were given lighting and a ticket machine.

In 1999 the decision was taken to extend the current tram line B to the station along with the new line C. For the arrival of the new tramway, the local quartier was radically transformed: the level crossing was replaced with a new tunnel, the local sports hall was demolished (to be built a bit further along) and replaced with a park and ride and the 2nd tram depot was built.