Paris Metro Line 1

Paris Metro Line 1 was the first metro line opened in Paris, France, in 1900. The line crosses Paris east-west and is the busiest metro line with 161 million journeys per year. The line, 16.6 km long and currently links La Défense to the Castle of Vincennes.

Chronology

July 19, 1900 Inauguration of line 1 between Porte de Vincennes and Porte Maillot. Only 8 of the 18 planned stations were opened.
August 6 and September 1, 1900 The other 10 stations of the line opened.
March 24, 1934 The line was extended to the east from Porte de Vincennes to the castle of Vincennes.
November 15, 1936 Porte Maillot station was rebuilt in order to allow a further extension of the line to the west.
April 29, 1937 The line was extended to the west from Porte Maillot to Pont de Neuilly.
1963 The rails were converted in order to accommodate rubber-tyred trains. At the same time, stations were enlarged in order to accommodate 6-car trains instead of 5-car trains.
April 1, 1992 The line was extended again to the west from Pont de Neuilly to La Défense business district.

Future

It is planned to convert the line to a fully automated system (similar to the Line 14) by the end of 2010. It will be the first heavy duty line to be converted without interrupting traffic.

An extension of Line 1 from La Défense station to the center of Nanterre is being considered.

Stations renamed

May 27, 1920 Alma station renamed George V.
May 5, 1931 Reuilly station renamed Reuilly-Diderot.
May 20, 1931 Champs-Elysées renamed Champs-Elysées - Clémenceau.
April 26, 1937 Tourelle renamed Saint-Mandé - Tourelle.
October 6, 1942 Marbeuf renamed Marbeuf - Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées
October 30, 1946 Marbeuf - Rond-Point des Champs-Elysées renamed Franklin D. Roosevelt.
May 25, 1948 Obligado renamed Argentine.
1970 Etoile renamed Charles-de-Gaulle - Etoile.
1989 Palais Royal renamed Palais-Royal - Musée du Louvre after the entrance to the museum was moved with the building of the Louvre Pyramid. At the same time, Louvre station renamed Louvre - Rivoli.
1997 Grande Arche de la Défense station renamed La Défense.
July 26 2002 Saint-Mandé - Tourelle renamed Saint-Mandé.

Facts

Because of less advanced building techniques of the 1900s, line 1 of the Paris metro is the closest line to the surface; many stations have a steel beam structure comprising of both arched and beam section maintaining the large station roof. The line was constructed using the "cut and cover" method and, as a result, follows the line of the streets above. This was done to both facilitate construction and avoid the adjacent buildings' cellars. Bastille station is located above the tunnel entrance of the Canal Saint-Martin, just below the pavement of the Place de la Bastille because in 1900, there was no way to build underwater.

Unlike older trains on other lines, the cars of line 1 trains are all interconnected, allowing people to move between cars. This reduces the number of seats per car and increases standing room.

Despite being almost entirely underground (except Bastille station and for the Seine-crossing at Pont de Neuilly), line 1 is fully covered by mobile phone networks.

Map

Tourism

Metro line 1 passes near several places of interest

La Défense Paris high-rise district which is dominated by the Grande Arche.
The Arc de Triomphe at Charles de Gaule-Étoile. A 289 step staircase is open to the public and leads to the top of the Arch (for a fee, of course). There is also a museum on the top floor.
L'Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
The Place de la Concorde dominated by the Obelisk, Tuileries garden and Louvre museum.
The Louvre station has copies of works of art from the museum and has historical information. The station's benches are made of glass and the Western portal has Roman-inspired arches along the platform edge.
The Hôtel de Ville (Paris City Hall) and the Marais district.
Bastille and the nearby Opera.
Gare de Lyon train station.
The Place de la Nation.
The Bois de Vincennes (Vincennes Wood) and Vincennes Zoo.
The Château de Vincennes. A medieval castle to the east of Paris.

External links

Paris Metro line 1

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