Take a behind-the-scenes look at the Grand Paris Express with a free tour of the Fabrique du Métro.

Far from being a museum, since 2018 the Fabrique du M étro has been offering free guided tours (Monday to Friday) open to all, to discover what goes on behind the scenes of the Grand Paris Express, the metro line project that aims to extend line 14 and create lines 15, 16, 17 and 18.

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The Fabrique du Métro opens its doors to the public on certain days, allowing you to delve into the inner workings of the Grand Paris Express, from the choice of benches in stations to the way in which the tunnels where the future lines will run are dug, not forgetting the design of the trains... it's a real adventure to discover a subject that concerns us all, yet is so opaque to the general public: the metro. So, the Fabrique du Métro explains, demonstrates and even lets you try out what the future lines of the Paris metro will look like between now and 2024.

"We're building stations, not metro stations," explains Annabelle Michon, Project Manager for the Fabrique du Métro, with enthusiasm. The new stations of the Grand Paris Express will be veritable hubs, essential crossroads for Paris's new public transport system, giving the capital a whole new dimension. Better served, faster and more efficiently - especially for people living in the suburbs - the project marks a huge change in the daily lives of the people of Paris. "A student living in Chelles and studying at Créteil University will now be able to get to university in ten minutes, instead of the hour and a quarter it takes now", she explains.

So, enter one of the tunnels of the new Grand Paris Express lines directly from the Fabrique du Métro, in which a replica has been reproduced, and discover the tunnel boring machines, the immense machines that dig the underground tunnels up to 52 meters deep for the most subterranean station... You can also experience for the first time the trains of the future lines 15, 16, 17 and 18: try out the new seats, discover the new signage on the platforms or visualize on a large screen what the future stations of the Grand Paris Express will look like.

The Grand Paris Express in figures:

• 200 kilometers of metro lines (in addition to the existing 200 kilometers)
• 68 new stations
• 100% of trains on automatic pilot
• 52 metres: the maximum depth of a GPE station

Among the innovations to look forward to when these new lines open, you'll be able to see how many passengers are in each carriage as you wait for your train, thanks to illuminated indications on the platforms. You'll also be able to move around in all carriages, and recharge your phone in one of the USB ports provided. For people with reduced mobility, the disabled, the visually impaired or parents with baby carriages, the distance between the platform and the footboard has been reduced to enable all passengers to access the Grand Paris Express. Several elevators and escalators will also be installed in each station, opening up this new network to the PRM public.

While the Grand Paris Express lines are scheduled to open at the earliest in 2024 ( for the extension of line 14) and at the latest between 2025 and 2030 (for lines 15, 16, 17 and 18), why not take a behind-the-scenes look at the Grand Paris Express during a free guided tour of the Fabrique du Métro, in Saint-Ouen!