With its 4 new lines (15, 16, 17 and 18), the extension of line 14 and its 68 new stations, the future Grand Paris Express network is the talk of the town. It has to be said that the project is colossal. First stage of the Grand Paris Express? The extension of line 14 to the north and south. " The first wide-gauge automatic metro line in 1998, line 14 is about to change dimension and become the main north-south link in the Paris metro system, and the backbone of the Grand Paris Express," explains the Société des Grands Projets, formerly the Société du Grand Paris, responsible for designing and building the Grand Paris public transport network, on its website.
For a long time, line 14 ran from Mairie de Saint-Ouen to Olympiades, serving a total of 13 stations. Although this line had a short route, it offered users a large number of connections, including 10 metro lines, 5 RER lines, 3 Transilien lines and 2 tramway lines. It also served no fewer than 3 Paris stations: Gare de Lyon, Gare Saint-Lazare and Gare de Bercy.
But, as of Monday June 24, 2024, Line 14's route is much longer, with an additional station to the north (Saint-Denis Pleyel) and 7 more to the south, for a total of 15 kilometers of additional line. The main advantage? The ability to reach the new southern terminus, " Aéroport d'Orly " , from " Saint-Denis-Pleyel " in around 40 minutes.
The new stations will pass through a dozen or so communes in 3 departments of the Paris region, including Saint-Denis in Seine-Saint-Denis, as well as Kremlin-Bicêtre, Gentilly, Villejuif, Chevilly-Larue, L'Haÿ-les-Roses, Thiais in Val-de-Marne and Paray-Vieille-Poste in Essonne.
The station now links the Pleyel and La Plaine districts of Seine-Saint-Denis. The only station in the network to connect 4 metro lines, the " Saint-Denis - Pleyel " station will welcome 250,000 passengers a day by 2030 - "the highestridership of any new station on the Grand Paris Express ", according to Société du Grand Paris. The new station will offer connections with lines 15, 16 and 17, in addition to line 14.
In terms of architecture, since June 24th passengers at the " Saint-Denis - Pleyel " station have been able to stroll along platforms 28 meters underground and discover nine levels, including four underground levels... all on 26,000 m²!
Line 14 extension: Saint-Denis-Pleyel station revealed at a depth of 28 metres
It will be the major station of the Grand Paris Express for many users of public transport in and around Paris. Saint-Denis-Pleyel station, the future northern terminus of line 14, is scheduled to open at the end of June 2024. 28-meter-deep platforms, 4 underground levels, 20,000m² of passenger space, 3,750m² of glass façade, a station designed by Japan's Kengo Kuma... On Wednesday, May 15, 2024, we had the opportunity to discover this new station, which is generating a lot of anticipation. We tell you all about this immersion in the Saint-Denis-Pleyel station, a month before it opens to passengers. [Read more]
"As the first station in the extension of line 14 to Aéroport d'Orly, Maison Blanche is the only Parisian station in the Grand Paris Express network," explains Société du Grand Paris. For local residents, the station is located on avenue d'Italie, at the foot of the Tour Super-Italie.
Located in Kremlin-Bicêtre, more precisely along Rue Gabriel Péri and the A6b freeway, the " Hôpital Bicêtre " station serves both Kremlin-Bicêtre and Gentilly. Located at the entrance to Hôpital Bicêtre, the station is designed to fit in with a rapidly developing area. From now on, users can travel between " Hôpital Bicêtre " and " Aéroport d'Orly " in just 12 minutes, compared with 45 minutes today.
With just a few days to go before the inauguration of the extension to metro line 14, the enthusiasm of many Parisians is growing. On Thursday June 20, 2024, the Société des grands projets organized the "revelation" of the Hôpital Bicêtre station, in the presence of several elected officials, as well as architect Jean-Paul Viguier and Eva Jospin. The artist unveiled a monumental work, some 8 metres high, on the station's façade. We were there and tell you all about it. [Read more]
Villejuif - Institut Gustave-Roussy " station has not yet been inaugurated, but it is already considered an emblematic station of the Grand Paris Express, as it will connect two lines of the future network: line 15 South and the southern extension of line 14. Located on the outskirts of the Gustave Roussy center, Europe's leading cancer research facility, the Villejuif - Institut Gustave-Roussy station will occupy a surface area of 7,500 m², and will be laid out underground on nine levels, with the platforms for line 14 " located on level -7 at a depth of 36.7 meters, and those for line 15 South on level -9 at a depth of 48.8 meters ", explains Société du Grand Paris. Please note that this station, which will interconnect with the future line 15, is not yet accessible, unlike the 7 other new stations on line 14. Villejuif-Gustave Roussy station is scheduled to open in December 2024.
Strategically located, the " L'Haÿ-Les-Roses " station will serve the neighborhoods of L'Haÿ-les-Roses, Villejuif and Chevilly-Larue, three dynamic towns in the Val-de-Marne region.
An important new station in the eyes of many restaurateurs, this " Chevilly-Larue " station serves the famous Rungis Marché d'Intérêt National, the world's largest fresh produce market, covering 234 hectares. The station will also serve " the future Cité de la Gastronomie and the ZAC Anatole France and Triangle des Meuniers projects ", according to Société du Grand Paris.
Located in the commune of Thiais, the " Thiais - Orly " station was built on the Avenue du Docteur Marie. It will also serve the towns of Rungis and Orly.
The new southern terminus of line 14, located in the commune of Paray-Vieille-Poste, the " Aéroport d'Orly " station provides service to France's second-largest airport. At this station, a work by street artist Vhils and architect François Tamisier was inaugurated for the occasion. Together, the two artists have created a sublime, large-scale fresco in azulejos.
Eagerly awaited by many Parisians and public transport users, the extension of line 14 is scheduled to enter service in June 2024. 8 new stations will be added, including Aéroport d'Orly, the new terminus to the south of the line. We were able to discover the progress of the work on this station, as well as the future passenger route, during a site visit organized on Tuesday March 5. We tell you all about it. [Read more]
Last but not least, line 14 is set to become the only metro line connecting with lines 15, 16, 17 and 18 of the Grand Paris Express.
Monday June 24, 2024 is a milestone for many Parisians. After many years of construction work, the extension of line 14 to the north and south was finally inaugurated. French President Emmanuel Macron was on hand for the occasion, as were Amélie Oudea-Castera, Minister for Sport and the Olympic Games, Patrice Vergriete, Minister Delegate for Transport, and former President Nicolas Sarkozy, Jean Castex, Chairman and CEO of RATP, Valérie Pécresse, President of the Île-de-France Region and Île-de-France Mobilités, Mathieu Hanotin, Mayor of Saint-Denis, andAugustin de Romanet, CEO of ADP.
While the press and selected guests gathered on the forecourt of the new Saint-Denis - Pleyelstation, Emmanuel Macron and the entire delegation were at the Mairie de Saint-Ouen station. Together, they boarded the " inaugural train " to the Saint-Denis - Pleyel station. Once there, Emmanuel Macron was able to discover the new northern terminus of line 14, with its impressive architecture imagined and designed by Japanese architect Kengo Kuma.
Many politicians were present for this historic day in the Paris region. Line 14 is now the longest line on the Paris metro. There are now 21 stations on the 30 km-long line. While 800,000 passengers are expected to use line 14 every day from this summer onwards, 1 million are expected to use the line in the long term, with a train every 85 seconds. Line 14 is also the first metro line to reach an airport, in this case Orly airport, whose station thus becomes the new southern terminus.
Official website
www.societedesgrandsprojets.fr
Line 14 extension: Saint-Denis-Pleyel station revealed at a depth of 28 metres
Line 14 extension: the Bicêtre hospital station is revealed, our photos
Grand Paris Express: we visited the site of the Aéroport d'Orly station
