The Paris Metro is a beautiful work of art that has been depicted in many films and photographs over the years. Although many daily commuters would argue that it’s a stinking cesspit instead! It looks a lot more attractive than many other subways across the world and I enjoyed travelling on it when I was in Paris. Here are some little known facts and glorious photos from the past of this iconic train network.
The first metro line opened in 1900, just after the Paris World Exposition.
The Paris Metro is an incredibly busy place. The network transports approximately 1.5 bn people per year. It’s the sixth busiest transport system in the world.
Along with 245 working stations, the Paris Metro has a couple of ghost stations such as Arsenal, Haxo, or Porte Molitor. These have fallen out of use in the past decades but are occasionally opened to the public at fixed dates throughout the year.
The Paris Metro runs a collective toll of 600,000 miles each day. In other words 10 times around the earth.
You can take your little French bulldog onto the Metro but sadly bigger dogs aren’t allowed.
The Paris metro is the forth oldest metro in Europe after London, Glasgow and Budapest.
The deepest metro station lies 40 metres below ground level and is called Abbesses – sounds a lot like the word Abyss!
I hope you enjoyed this post, let me know your thoughts on it…
I really like your article and the point of view on the night.
The Paris metro is amazing and I wish I could have read your article and this one http://www.flaneur.me.uk/03/the-art-and-beauty-of-the-paris-metro/ before to visit the city.
Thanks Carlo! Appreciate your feedback