Design of the Paris metro stations
The Paris Métro operates instantaneously (November 2013) 303 stations with 385 stops. Since the lines are completely independent of each other, each line has its own platform hall. In line with the fact that around 90% of the routes run underground, the vast majority of metro stations are also underground. In the course of the more than 100-year history of the Paris Métro and due to the often very different local conditions, quite different metro stations have emerged. These then differentiated themselves further through modernizations, which followed architectural fashions. On the other hand, due to the same task - namely to bring people to the trains - there are also many similarities between the individual stations.
The length of the platform was initially set at 75 m in 1900 (corresponding to trains with 5 cars of almost 15 m each), later 90 m long platforms were built and on the lines with a large number of users (lines 1, 3, 7, 8, 9) even were 105 m long platforms built. The extension of line 14 requires longer trains and thus 120 m long platforms if the traffic volume is to be expected.
Train stations
Underground standard train stations
Railway stations with an elliptical cross-section
As a rule, the stations have two tracks and two side platforms that are (usually) 4 m wide. Most train stations have an elliptical cross-section: At a height of 1.5 m above the rails is the point where the vaulted ceiling and the ellipse that forms the base of the structure touch. The largest interior width is here at 14.14 m. The greatest height of the interior is 5.9 m and lies in the middle of the structure. The vaulted ceiling has a wall thickness of 0.70 m with a clear height of 3.70 m. The floor slab is also curved elliptically downwards, it has a minimum thickness of 0.50 m and a maximum depth of 1.50 m, which in turn is 0.70 m below the top of the rail. The side retaining walls have a maximum wall thickness of 2 m. The platforms are each 4 m wide and slightly inclined towards the track bed. Opposite platform edges are 5.33 m apart.
The vaults of the former stations of the Société du chemin de fer électrique souterrain Nord-Sud de Paris (North-Sud) are slightly higher because the power supply to the leading railcars was via an overhead line.
Railway stations with a rectangular cross-section
For routes where the difference in height between the road and the rails is less than 7 m, the arch was replaced by a horizontal metal ceiling (e.g. Concorde ). Stations with a rectangular cross-section were created. The floor slabs of the station are curved downwards, just like the stations with vaulted ceilings. The retaining walls sit on it, they are 1.50 m thick in the lower area, and further up they taper to 1.15 m. The interior has a clear width of 13.50 m and a clear height of 3.50 m (measured from the platform height). On the retaining walls - transverse to the direction of travel - are metallic support beams. On these, in turn, longitudinal members rest in the direction of the track and run parallel to each other at a distance of almost 2 m. Profile iron support small vaults made of bricks. At wider stations, the transverse support beams are additionally supported by a metal column on each platform.
Special forms of underground train stations
Around 50 train stations deviate from this rule. Often there are former terminus with two tracks and an island platform (e.g. Porte Dauphine ), or with 3 tracks and two platforms (e.g. Porte d'Orléans ) or even with four tracks ( Château de Vincennes ). In the case of very wide stations or unstable subsoil, a retaining wall is erected to relieve the vault. The station concourse is divided into two parts, each with a track and a platform (e.g. Porte de Versailles ).
Porte Dauphine: Two tracks with an island platform
Cluny - La Sorbonne: The middle track serves as a connection to another line
Porte de Versailles: three tracks; Retaining wall between the tracks; Platforms moved against each other
Mirabeau : Only one side platform, trains going west pass the station without stopping on a ramp
Porte d'Auteuil : Two central platforms on three main tracks
The two stations Saint-Michel and Cité on Line 4 were built using caisson construction .
Construction of the main caisson of the Saint-Michel station
Access caisson of the Saint-Michel station
Cité station
High-altitude train stations
High-altitude stations are mainly found on lines 2 and 6. Each station rests on four longitudinal beams. The two outer ones rest on stone pillars, the two inner ones on two rows of iron columns. At the four corners of each station a pillar protrudes far beyond the roof. These pillars do not have a supporting function, but serve purely for ornamentation. The above-ground stations on Line 2 have two pent roofs, each of which only covers the platform. The stops on line 6 have a glass gable roof that also spans the tracks.
Jaurès station on Line 2: walls glazed, roof only over platforms
Cambronne station on line 6: brick walls; The glass roof spans the platforms and tracks
Cambronne station staircase
Sèvres-Lecourbe with decorative pillars
La Motte-Piquet with stairs
Modern train stations
The new stations required by the route extensions are being built according to different specifications: There should be as direct access as possible, i.e. without winding corridors, but with long stairs and escalators and passenger lifts. The passenger should get from the street to the platforms as straight as possible.
Little and much used stations
The ten most popular stations
The passengers who were directly, i.e. H. through the entrances that entered metro stations. The transfer operation was not recorded. As expected, the stations at the large train stations and stations that offer access to several lines are particularly busy. 248 stations had more than 2 million boarding passengers; only 12 stations counted fewer than 1 million boarding passengers.
The median is 3.40 million boarding passengers, i.e. H. half of the stations had more passengers than the median value indicates, the other half fewer.
| station | Passenger volume in millions (2011) | Access to stations |
|---|---|---|
| Gare du Nord | 48.6 | 4, 5 |
| Saint-Lazare | 46.8 | 3, 9, 12, 13, 14 |
| Gare de Lyon | 35.5 | 1, 14, RER A |
| Montparnasse-Bienvenüe | 31.1 | 4, 6, 12, 13 |
| Gare de l'Est | 19.7 | 4, 5, 7 |
| Republique | 15.9 | 3, 5, 8, 9, 11 |
| Bibliothèque | 15.8 | 14th |
| Châtelet | 14.4 | 1, 4, 7, 11, 14 |
| La Defense | 13.9 | 1 |
| Les Halles | 13.1 | 4th |
The ten least used metro stations
Little-used stations are mainly on the short routes (3bis and 7bis).
| station | Passenger volume in millions (2011) | Access to stations |
|---|---|---|
| Eglise d'Auteuil | 0.2 | 10 |
| Pelleport | 0.4 | 3bis |
| Pointe du Lac | 0.4 | 8th |
| Pré Saint-Gervais | 0.5 | 7 to |
| Buttes Chaumont | 0.6 | 7 to |
| Bolivar | 0.6 | 7 to |
| Chardon lagache | 0.6 | 10 |
| Danube | 0.7 | 7 to |
| Porte d'Auteil | 0.7 | 10 |
| Falguière | 0.9 | 12 |
From the street down (up) to the platforms
Information signs and poles
Since the flat entrances to the metro stations are hardly noticeable, signs (often illuminated at night) were already placed on iron masts in the early days to help those looking for their way. This mast + shield combination is often referred to as a "totem" in France. After the entrances to the underground underground stations had initially been largely designed by Hector Guimard , a mast of the Val d'Osne type was erected for the first time at the Saint-Michel station in 1909. These candelabra carry a red sign with the words METRO under a spherical lamp. Over the decades, the appearance of the signposts and signs changed, as did the materials used.
In the early 1930s, the entrances to new stations were given candelabra designed by Adolphe Dervaux in the style of Art Deco . They were similar to the Val d'Osne masts, but were less ornate. As an experiment, they were set up for the first time in 1928 at the Richelieu - Drouot underground station , initially the red sign, illuminated from the inside, showed the words PIETONS (pedestrians).
Masts with a yellow “M” in a double circle date from the 1950s. The first mast of this type was erected in 1956 at the Sully - Morland station . In the 1970s these masts became standard.
In the 1960s a model was introduced that was supposed to be reminiscent of a broadcast antenna. The word METRO appears on the top of a mast within two suggested radio waves. Only a few entrances were equipped with it.
Schild des Nord-Sud ( Pasteur station ), the original lettering was NORD-SUD
Candelabra designed by Adolphe Dervaux in the Art Deco style
Sign introduced in 1936
Mast with sign type broadcast antenna at Villiers underground station , 2006
Yellow M mast, introduced in the 1950s
The entrances: world famous by Hector Guimard
As part of the construction of the first metro lines, the CMP announced a competition for the design of the entrance areas as early as 1899. You should have a sign that is illuminated at night and clearly indicate the Chemin de fer métropolitain .
Since the suggestions received were unsatisfactory, the Art Nouveau architect Hector Guimard was asked for suggestions. Between 1900 and 1912, 141 metro entrances were designed according to his designs. Of these, 86 elements, spread over 66 stations, survived. 4 of them were listed as a historical monument in 1965. The remainder were included in the supplementary directory of the Monuments historiques in 1978 .
As early as 1910, the Guimard decors were considered out of date. They have been replaced at numerous additions; For example, the southern entrance to the Pasteur station retained the railings designed by Guimard , but for decades had a Dervaux candelabra . After the Guimard period, the entrances were made simpler, sometimes they were given a small independent building or - if there was a lack of space - they were installed on the ground floor of larger buildings.
Covered entrance to Abbesses station , designed by Guimard
... also a real Guimard: Entrance to the Étienne Marcel station
The southern entrance to Pasteur station with restored Guimard candelabra
Other types of access
Entrance to Place Monge station
Station Saint-Jacques
Pernety station
Place des Fêtes : Art Deco style access structure
Access to the Buzenval station integrated into a building
Counter hall and entrance area
After the passenger has descended the first flight of stairs, they first come to the so-called distribution hall (Salle des distributions) or counter hall, where there is an information desk with ticket sales and ticket machines . A so-called t + ticket is required for individual journeys . Under the name Paris Visite or Mobilis be day tickets available. Weekly or monthly tickets are linked to the Pass Navigo transponder card . With a valid ticket you can unlock the access barriers and enter the interior of the station. There used to be platform closures where the tickets bought at the ticket office were canceled with a punch before the passenger was allowed to enter the platform .
Info desks and barriers at Pont de Sévres station
Ticket machine (2006)
Front and back of the t + ticket
Charging station for Navigo driver's license
Isolation system at the Gallieni station
Access to the interior, reserved for Navigo passes
Connecting corridor to a metro station
Widened passage for the disabled
North-South transfer hall in Saint-Lazare
Access: stairs, escalators, elevators
After crossing the ticket hall and the access control, the traveler has to get to the platforms. You can do this via stairs, escalators or elevators. Initially, the stations were designed with only one access stair per platform. After the serious accident at Couronnes station in 1903, in which many people suffocated because there was no second exit, the CMP was obliged to equip all stations with additional entrances and exits. (But there are still some smaller stations with only one exit, e.g. Picpus .)
As early as 1906, the CMP agreed to equip stations with elevators if the difference in height between the street and the platform is more than 12 m and at the same time the platforms are more than 8 m lower than the counter hall. The first elevators were installed in 1910 ( République ) and 1911 ( Cité and Saint-Michel ). Elevators followed in 1912, overcoming a large difference in height ( Place des Fêtes (20.3 m) and Buttes-Chaumont (28.7 m)). In 2011, 25 metro stations had elevators.
The Père Lachaise station received the first escalators in 1909; 6 more escalators were installed by 1920, and by 1966 86 were in operation. in 2011 there were escalators in more than 200 stations. 42 escalators are installed on line 14 alone.
The first treadmills (trottoir roulant) were used in 1964 ( Châtelet ), and three more were added later in Montparnasse-Bienvenüe . The middle of the three treadmills was in operation from 2002 to 2009 as a high-speed belt. It moved at a speed of 3 m / s (instead of 0.8 m / s with normal running belts). However, it was prone to failure and users often fell. Therefore the speed was first reduced, later it was replaced by a normal speed belt.
Before the passenger reached the platform, he had to pass an automatic door (Portillon automatique) for a long time . The door closed shortly before the entrance of a subway and did not open the way to the platform again until the train had left. The control of the door was usually switched by the incoming or outgoing train. However, it could also be operated by the station staff. The first doors of this type were installed on Line 2 in 1921, and later on other lines as well. Before the doors were closed and opened manually by the staff. They were gradually dismantled in the 1960s.
A staircase leads down to the metro
Repair of a metro escalator
Transfer hall at Saint-Lazare station
High-speed treadmill at the Montparnasse-Bienvenüe station (in operation from 2002 to 2009)
Portillon automatique in the Porte d'Orléans station , 2008
Platform halls
lighting
history
In the first few years of the metro, the lighting was very spartan: there was an illuminance of approx. 1 lx on the platforms , which corresponds to the strength of a candle from approx. 1 m away. This was achieved by means of yellowish light coming from 120 V lamps, five of which were connected in series to 600 V direct current lines.
The use of fluorescent tubes brought the first improvements. They were installed in 1947 in some stations that had an AC power supply. However, this solution was ruled out for the majority of underground stations that were only supplied with direct voltage, as the corresponding fluorescent tubes were not yet available. It was not until 1954 that this type of lighting could be implemented consistently at a rate of five to six stations per month. At the end of 1958, with the exception of a few above-ground stations, all underground stations were converted accordingly, and the entrances, corridors and counter halls followed.
At stations that were newly built or renovated around the turn of the millennium, the platforms were illuminated with approx. 200 lx.
Conversion to LED lights
By the end of 2015, RATP wants to equip all underground stations and all RER stations it operates with LED lights. During a large-scale test lasting several years, the Censier - Daubenton station on Line 7 was first converted in 2009 . When lighting the station, a 2/3 lower energy consumption was measured. In 2010 the administration building of the RATP and in 2011 the RER station Val d'Europe were converted. A total of 250,000 light sources have to be replaced. The total cost of the campaign is 11 million euros.
Renouveau du Métro
The Renouveau du Métro program is the largest renovation program that has ever been carried out at Paris Métro: starting in 1998, 273 metro stations are to be comprehensively renovated from floor to ceiling over a period of 20 years. Special attention is also paid to the signage, which should be clearer. A new font type Parisine was created, which should be easier to understand , especially for people whose mother tongue is not written in Latin letters.
Artistically designed platform halls
At the suggestion of the then Minister of Culture André Malraux , the platforms of a Paris metro station were artistically designed for the first time in 1968: the walls of the Louvre-Rivoli station were clad with natural stone, and copies of works of art from the Louvre were displayed in showcases.
The measure met with great interest among the population and tourists, so that since then a number of stations have been redesigned with this in mind. The theme chosen often indicates an important building near the station.
The following table only lists some of these platform halls.
| station | line | year | layout |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arts et Métiers | 11 | 1994 | Design by François Schuiten : the entire station is lined with copper sheet |
| Bastille | 1 | ? | colored tiles illustrate the events of the French Revolution |
| Concorde | 12 | 1991 | Text of the Declaration of Human and Civil Rights from 1789 on the tiles |
| Louvre-Rivoli | 1 | 1968 | Copies of works of art from the Louvre |
| Liège | 13 | 1982 | Dutch style tiles: landscape and city images from the province of Liège |
| Parmentier | 3 | The group of statues and texts recall Antoine Parmentier who campaigned for potato cultivation in France | |
| Pont Neuf | 7th | ? | Exhibits are reminiscent of the Monnaie de Paris mint |
| Tuileries | 1 | ? | The history of the Paris metro is shown like a collage |
Arts et Métiers station (line 11): copper cladding
Bastille station (line 1): memories of the French Revolution
Concorde station (line 12): Text: Declaration of human and civil rights
Liège station (line 13): Pictures from the Liège province
Tuileries station (line 1): wall decoration shows the history of the metro
Around 30 stations were decorated with individual works of art. The French artist Hervé Mathieu-Bachelot alone is represented with ten works in metro stations and RER train stations, including glass windows and mosaics. In the Madeleine station there is, among other works of art, a copy of a sculpture by Constantin Brâncuși .
Equipment of the platform halls
As already mentioned, the platform halls were initially only sparsely lit, the walls were covered with white rectangular tiles with bevelled edges. There were only a few seats for the waiting passengers. The station master had his own office.
The large billboards in each station are typical.
New are the partition walls to the tracks and platform screen doors in the stations on the driverless routes and the heavily frequented stations on Line 13. They are intended to prevent people from falling into the track bed.
Station manager's cabin; in use until approx. 1970; Sèvres station - Babylone
A platform hall of the north-south
Platform screen doors, Invalides station, 2006
Passenger information systems
The signposts are available in two different colors: White text on a blue background shows the way to the exits. Blue letters on a white background provide information on locations within the metro station: Signposts to the individual lines, to the information desk or to ticket sales.
SIEL display boards installed on the platforms indicate how long it will be until the next train arrives.
Large-format city maps show the metro network of Paris in the entrance area as well as on the platforms, and there is also a detailed map of the area around the respective metro station. City maps with light-emitting diodes show the way to any other station in the entrance area of large stations.
Saint-Lazare station
SIEL, Place Monge station
City map with illuminated display
Ghost stations
In addition, there are a number of "ghost stations": stations that have never been put into operation or stations that only existed temporarily:
| station | line | opening | closure | comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| La Défense - Michelet |
|
- | - | |
| Élysées La Défense |
|
- | - | |
| Victor Hugo |
|
1900 | 1931 | |
| Martin Nadaud |
|
1905 | 1969 | |
| Haxo |
 
|
- | - | |
| Porte des Lilas - Cinéma |
|
- | - | |
| arsenal |
|
1906 | 1939 | |
| Gare du Nord USFRT |
|
1907 | 1942 | |
| Orly Sud |
|
- | - | not to be confused with the Orly-Sud des Orlyval station |
| Champ de Mars |
|
1913 | 1939 | |
| Saint Martin |
|
1931 | 1939 | |
| Porte Molitor |
|
- | - | |
| Croix rouge |
|
1923 | 1939 | |
| Porte de Versailles |
|
1910 | - | Station was moved south in 1934 |
See also
- Public transport in Paris
- Paris metro
- List of stations on the Métro Paris
- Substations of the Paris Métro
- Series of attacks in France in 1995
literature
- Clive Lamming: Métro insolite . 2nd Edition. Editions Parigramme, Paris 2001, ISBN 978-2-84096-190-1 . (French)
- Julian Pepinster: Le métro de Paris . Éditions La Vie du Rail, Paris 2010, ISBN 978-2-918758-12-9 . (French)
- Jean Robert: Notre Métro . 2nd Edition. J. Robert, Neuilly-sur-Seine 1983. (French)
- Hans-Werner Loop a. a .: Lexicon Metros der Welt , without ISBN, Berlin 1985, 1st edition.
- Jean Tricoire: Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor . 2nd Edition. La Vie du Rail, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-902808-87-9 . (French)
- Heidi Wiese: Under the streets of Paris , ISBN 3-920591-31-3 .
Web links
|
Further content in the sister projects of Wikipedia:
|
||
|
Commons | - multimedia content |
- Operator side of the Métro
- The Paris Métro at Urbanrail.net
- Paris Métro route map (PDF)
- Track plans of the Paris Métro
- Images of the Paris Métro
- Worth seeing metro stations: pictures and texts (English)
Individual evidence
- ^ Jean Tricoire: Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor . 2nd Edition. La Vie du Rail, Paris 2000, ISBN 2-902808-87-9 , p. 89 .
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento of the original dated December 3, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French) accessed November 22, 2013
- ↑ Mark Ovenden: Paris Underground . Penguin Books, London 2009, ISBN 978-0-14-311639-4 , pp. 62 .
- ↑ Mark Ovenden: op. Cit. , P. 68 f.
- ↑ Mark Ovenden: op. Cit. , P. 170.
- ↑ http://lartnouveau.com/artistes/guimard/documents/renovation_entrees_metro.htm (French) accessed November 13, 2013
- ^ Jean Tricoire: Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor , p. 74.
- ^ Julian Pepinster: Le métro de paris , p. 106.
- ↑ Le Figaro. 5 Things to Know About the Paris Metro (March 2013, French) Retrieved November 22, 2013
- ↑ pavement roulant rapide (French WP)
- ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (French) accessed November 28, 2013
- ^ Jean Robert: Notre Métro . 2nd Edition. J. Robert, Neuilly-sur-Seine 1983, p. 154 .
- ↑ Publication of the RATP on the use of LEDs from October 2013 (French) accessed on December 5, 2013 ( memento of the original from December 24, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ RATP press release regarding renovation projects (French) ( Memento of the original from March 3, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Retrieved December 6, 2013
