Paris Metro (Paris Metro) is one of the oldest underground railway networks in the world. The words "metro" and "metro" are also of French origin. The metro network covers both Paris itself and its neighboring suburbs. The French subway is characterized by a number of features that will be discussed in this article.
Network of underground trains
At the Paris metro there is a network of Parisian commuter trains with the abbreviation RER, the lines of which reach the surface already outside the city. This network can be considered as part of the Paris metro, as both networks function as a whole.
Subway history
The history of the Paris metro has more than 100 years. It was opened in July 1900. Most of the stations were built by 1920. Their design was done by the designer Hector Guimard. When laying underground lines, builders tried to bypass the basements and cellars located under the houses. Therefore, the metro was done strictly along the streets. Since the width of the streets was not always sufficient everywhere, this affected the unevenness of the platforms and their displacement relative to each other at some stations.
During the First World War, the metro was going through hard times. The number of staff has sharply decreased. They began to attract more women to work in the subway, as many men went to the front. Due to a lack of electricity, some trains did not have light and passengers rode in total darkness, which caused numerous complaints.
During the bombing, people tried to hide in the subway stations, which led to stampede and casualties. Because of this, they even had to replace the doors so that they opened on both sides. However, the construction of the lines continued, although not as fast as before.
At the very beginning of World War II, the need for underground transport decreased. Most of the stations were temporarily closed, and some did not open, turning into ghost stations. However, after 1940, the load on the metro increased sharply, and it began to transport more than 1 billion people a year. Metro has become the main mode of transport in the city. This was due to a sharp rise in the price of gasoline and the closure of trams in 1937. Metro trains during the war were constantly overloaded by passengers.
Some stations were partially destroyed by bombing. Deep-seated stations were used as bomb shelters.
Despite the difficult situation, metro lines continued to be completed, putting into operation all new sections.
Features of the Paris Metro
The Paris Metro is a dense branched network of underground metro lines with a large number of stations. In the city center they are located denser to each other. The lines are shallow. Sometimes they come to the surface. Often the entrances at the metro station look quite inconspicuous.
The subway passes 4.5 million passengers per day, and about 1.5 billion per year. This is one of the most visited metro in the world. It allows you to unload the ground transportation network and helps to improve the environmental situation in the city.
The subway network consists of 16 lines (14 long and 2 short). Lines often intersect. At the intersection created transfer stations. There are 62 transfer stations in total, and the total number of stations is 302 units. If we analyze the metro by the number of stops on all lines, then there will be even more - 383 units (one transfer station is equivalent to two stops). The number of stations located outside is 21, the rest are located underground. Most ground stations are on line 6.
Metro stations in Paris are very densely located. The distance between them averages 562 meters. Unlike the Moscow metro, the lines of the Paris metro have a large number of turns, and the speed of trains is quite low.
Features of cars and trains
The total length of the lines is 220 km. Most cars do not have automatic, but semi-automatic doors. To open them, people themselves must press a button or press a lever. Often stations are announced in cars in advance, and 2 times and with an interval of 2 seconds. There is also an informative indicator light. However, there is nothing of the kind in the old-type cars, and passengers are forced to use the old-fashioned method - to look at the names of stations that are written on their walls in capital letters.
As a rule, one train moves only within the same line, so if you have a plan, you won’t get lost in the subway. The plan can be seen in the train car.
The Paris Metro uses 2 types of cars: regular and having rubber tires on wheels. The latter make much less noise and are the development of local engineers of the 60s of the twentieth century. They require special rails, and, accordingly, high costs for re-arranging the railway system, so they did not receive widespread distribution in the Paris metro.
Metro Technical Parameters
Technical features largely reflect the specifics of the Paris Metro:
- The railway gauge is 143.5 cm, which is usual for the metro. The power supply uses a direct current of 750 volts.
- Trains move along the line at an average speed of 35 km / h, which is quite small.
- Two lines - 1 and 14 - are in automatic control mode, that is, trains move without drivers.
- Most of the stations are either single-vault type or are single-span with a side platform.
- Many lines have loops at the ends. Thanks to them, the train can move forward without stopping, which is quite convenient. Near the loops are the end stations. Such lines were built before the First World War.
Metro cost in Paris
In Paris, a rather complicated system of fare for the metro and other modes of transport. In 2017, the cost of a one-time ticket was 1.9 euros. This ticket is suitable not only for traveling by metro, but also in other forms of public transport and in the underground RER system of suburban electric trains, but only within the city limits. A train ticket for commuter trips will cost 7 euros. You can use it only for 1 trip by public transport.
You can buy a ticket at special vending machines or at kiosks at the entrance to the metro station.
For more trips, you can purchase a travel book consisting of 10 tickets. A trip in this way will cost significantly less than with a one-time ticket.
A NaviGo proximity card is also used for unlimited trips on any type of transport within the agreed period. The most popular is the purchase of unlimited for a week or a month.
Metro work schedule
The metro scheme of Paris is such that all branches intersect each other, and also pass through the Ile de France. Each branch is indicated by its individual color. At any of them there are stations with a switch to another branch or to the RER commuter train system. On the Paris metro scheme in Russian and other languages, metro lines are indicated by strictly defined colors.
The metro opens at 5:30 and closes at 00:40. On Fridays and Saturdays, as well as before the holidays, the metro is open until 01:40. In the period of the greatest congestion between train arrivals, about 2 minutes pass. During low load, the interval between trains increases to 8-10 minutes.
Features of the Paris metro stations
The metro stations are small in size and decorated fairly modestly. They are more like platforms for trains than at the station of the metro we are familiar with. There is no luxury here. Another characteristic feature of the Paris metro is the presence of platforms along the edge of the station, and not in the center, as in Moscow.
