Since June 24 and the extension of line 14 north and south to Orly, trains have been passing through the station, but not stopping. Villejuif - Gustave Roussy station is the last station on line 14 still closed. But rest assured, it's only a matter of weeks away. In January 2025, the 8th and last station on the line 14 extension should welcome its first passengers. Located four stops from the Aéroport d'Orly terminus, the Villejuif - Gustave Roussy station is well worth the wait.
On the morning of Thursday, December 19, 2024, during a press tour organized by the Société des Grands Projets (in charge of the design and construction of the Grand Paris Express), we discover this spectacularly large station, designed by the agency of architect Dominique Perrault.
With its circular shape, the Villejuif - Gustave Roussy station has a total of 6 entrances, spread over a 7,500 m² urban area in the hills above Villejuif in the Val-de-Marne department.
Once inside, you can't help but be impressed by the gigantic, transparent glass roof in the shape of an eye, letting in daylight, and the deep underground shaft, revealing 9 subterranean levels! In detail, the platforms of line 14 are located at level -7, i.e. 36.7 meters below ground, while those of line 15 South are at level -9, exactly 48.8 meters below ground! With figures like these, Villejuif - Gustave Roussy station will be the second-deepest station in the Grand Paris Express, and in France, after the future Saint-Maur - Créteil station (line 15), located at a depth of 52m.
A real technical feat, two tunnel boring machines - Alisson and Amandine - were needed to enable lines 14 and 15 Sud to cross each other perpendicularly at the heart of the station shaft. Other figures: 300,000 m3 of earth - the equivalent of 120 Olympic-sized swimming pools - were excavated for this circular station, 60m in diameter and 50m deep!
An emblematic station of the Grand Paris Express, it is also a connecting station. From summer 2026, if all goes according to plan, Villejuif - Gustave Roussy station will serve line 15 Sud, in addition to line 14.
Our tour continues. On all levels, workers are busy making final adjustments. We then take one of the station's many escalators. To give you an idea, 16 elevators and 32 escalators - including 2 monumental 40m-long staircases - have been installed in this station. And the descent to the platforms of line 14 is impressive. If you look up, you can see the gigantic glass dome that allows the station to be lit by natural light right down to the deepest level. That morning, the sun wasn't out. But the structure is bathed in light. To the left and right, other escalators face each other. Simply breathtaking.
Once on the platforms of line 14, we discover the beautiful illustrations by Matthias Lehmann, who drew his inspiration from the surroundings and the town of Villejuif.
Much more than just a station, the Villejuif - Gustave Roussy station has been designed as a"station that connects the world below and the world below". While a ticket will be required to access the deepest levels, the first two levels (-1 and -2) will make way in 2026 for a variety of shops - some seventeen, according to Bernard Cathelain, a member of the board of the Société des Grands Projets, who was present during the visit. No need for a ticket, then.
According to Bernard Cathelain, up to 100,000 passengers will use this station every day when line 15 Sud opens. The station is eagerly awaited by many residents of the Paris region, particularly those working at Europe's leading cancer treatment center, Gustave Roussy, and will also be used by residents of the future new " Campus Grand Parc " district. " It is intended for over 19,000 residents living within a 1 km radius," the Grand Paris Express website states.
On December 19, Société des Grands Projets officially handed over the keys to the station to Île-de-France Mobilités. Although the exact opening date of the station (for line 14) has not yet been announced, it is expected to open around mid-January 2025. The platforms on line 15 Sud will not open until summer 2026. That's when passengers will also be able to admire the work of artist Iván Navarro. Located on the platforms of the future line 15 Sud, the Chilean artist's work will feature neon lights and mirrors, creating the illusion of infinite depth and a futuristic sundial.
Official website
www.societedesgrandsprojets.fr
