☰︎Ⓜ Paris Métro

Historical Timeline

The story of the Paris Metro stretches from today until 1845

  • 1845

    Need for a metro identified due to congestion, Parisians wanted their own system without interference from the national train system

  • 1883

    Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris, the Paris Metropolitan Railway Company (CMP) is founded

  • 1890

    The metro is planned for right-hand side drive and narrower-than-normal tunnels to prevent suburbs outside Paris from connecting their left-hand side national train system

    It's rumored this was also to keep the poorer suburbs from bringing poverty into Paris

  • 1898

    Initial construction began, streets were dug up and tunnels built below

    • Dug up street, showing cut landscape
      Cut-and-cover construction
    • CMP style entrance with flowery ornate overhang by Hector Guimard
      CMP style entrance by Hector Guimard

  • 1900

    Line 1 is opened at Paris World Fair

  • 1904

    A competing network Nord-Sud is given permission to construct 3 more lines

    • Mosaic tiles reading Pte De Versailles
      Nord Sud mosaic sign
    • Mosaic tiles showing terminus station, Montparnasse
      Nord Sud mosaic sign

  • 1920

    Most of the initially planned 10 lines of CMP are completed at remarkable speed

  • 1930

    Nord-Sud goes bankrupt and is bought by CMP

  • 1940s

    Some planned stations never open due to WW2, as workers were enlisted

    French resistance use the tunnels to conduct guerilla attacks

    CMP merges with the Parisian bus company to become Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens (RATP)

  • 1970s+

    As the metro reaches the suburbs, the RATP begins the RER project, distinct from the metro, providing regional rail.

  • 1998

    Line 14 opens, being the first automated metro line

  • 2007 - 2011

    Several lines extended

    Line 1, the busiest line is retrofitted with the same automation package

  • 2022

    Automation of Line 4 to finish