The Paris Métro is the metro (underground) system in Paris, France. It was originally known as the "Chemin de Fer Métropolitain" ("Metropolitan railway"), then "Métropolitain," quickly abbreviated to "Métro". Speakers of verlan call it "le tromé."

The system consists of 16 lines, identified by numbers from 1 to 14, with two minor lines 3b and 7b, numbered thus because they are branch lines split off from the original lines 3 and 7.

Brief technical points:

• over 200 km of track, over 300 stations
• circulation is on the right
• track gauge of 1.435 meters (standard gauge, like the French main lines) -- but trains are narrower than mainlines, so the Metro can run on mainlines but not vice versa
• power collection: third rail
• average distance between stations is approx 300 m
• lines 1, 4, 6, 11, and 14 are rubber-tired
• line 14 is driverless (fully automatic)

A second network of regional express lines, the RER (Réseau Express Régional) complements the network since the 1970s.

Table of contents

1 Existing lines 2 Architecture 3 History 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Existing lines

1: La Défense - Château de Vincennes

• First section opened July 19, 1900
  
• Converted to rubber-tired operation 1964
  

• First section opened December 13, 1900
  

• First section opened October 19, 1904
  

• Opened November 27, 1921 (then part of line 3)
  
• Detached from line 3 April 2, 1971
  

• First section opened April 21, 1908
  
• Converted to rubber-tired operation 1967
  

• First section opened June 2, 1906 (some sections opened earlier are now part of line 6)
  

• First section opened October 2, 1900 (then part of line 5)
  
• Converted to rubber-tired operation 1974
  

• First section opened November 5, 1910
  

• Opened January 18, 1911 (then part of line 7)
  
• Detached from line 7 December 3, 1967
  

• First section opened July 13, 1913
  

• First section opened November 8, 1922
  

• First section opened July 13, 1913 (then part of line 8)
  

• First section opened April 28, 1935
  
• Converted to rubber-tired operation November 8, 1956
  

• First section opened November 5, 1910 (as part of Nord-Sud line A)
  

• First section opened February 26, 1911 (as part of Nord-Sud line B)
  
• First section opened by CMP December 30, 1923 (then part of line 10)
  

• First section (Madeleine - Bibliothèque François Mitterrand) opened October 15, 1998
  
• Saint-Lazare terminus opened December 16, 2003

See also: Stations of the Paris Metro

Architecture

One of the most famous aspects of the Paris metro are its wrought-iron art nouveau entrances by Hector Guimard, which have come to symbolize Paris although not very many remain in use (86 entrances by Guimard still exist).

History

The lines 1 through 10 where built by the Ville de Paris (city of Paris) and run by the CMP (Compagnie du Chemin de Fer Métropolitain de Paris).

A second company, "Nord-Sud" (Société du Chemin de Fer Electrique Nord-Sud de Paris) started up in 1910 and built two lines named A and B (now part of lines 12 and 13). "Nord-Sud" merged in 1930 with the CMP (line 11 and the "first" line 14 were completed after the merger). CMP became state-owned in 1948 and renamed RATP (Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens).

See also

• metro systems in other cities
• Transportation in France