Paris Métro Line 6: Difference between revisions
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Fomalhaut44 (talk | contribs) Reordered the historical sections to better order things chronologically, provide context for some facts, and clarify some clunky translations from the French. I find no decent English equivalent to "circulaire" so I stuck with the French. (“circulator” means something other than having a circumferential route, especially in mass transit.) No information was discarded, even points that I thought might be minor or distracting. Tags: nowiki added Visual edit |
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'''Line 6''' is one of the sixteen lines of the [[Paris Métro]] rapid transit system. Following a semi-circular route around the southern half of the city above boulevards formed by the former [[Wall of the Ferme générale| |
'''Line 6''' is one of the sixteen lines of the [[Paris Métro]] rapid transit system. Following a semi-circular route around the southern half of the city above boulevards formed by the former [[Wall of the Ferme générale|'Fermiers généraux' wall']] of 1784-1860, it runs between [[Charles de Gaulle – Étoile|Charles de Gaulle–Étoile]] in the west and [[Nation (Paris Métro and RER)|Nation]] in the east. A significant part of the route is on elevated tracks. |
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The rails and stations of today's Line 6 were opened between 1900 and 1909, but took their current configuration only in 1942. The stretch between Étoile and [[Place d'Italie (Paris Métro)|Place d'Italie]]<nowiki/>opened between 1900 and 1906 as Line ''2 sud.'' In 1907, it was made part of [[Paris Métro Line 5|Line 5]]. The section between [[Place d'Italie (Paris Métro)|Place d'Italie]] and Nation opened in 1909 as Line 6. In 1942, the Étoile – Place d'Italie section of Line 5 was transferred to line 6, creating today's Line 6 route. |
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The line is {{convert|13.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length, of which {{convert|6.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} are above ground, and has been equipped with rubber-tyred rolling stock since 1974. The line is considered one of the most pleasant lines on the Métro, due to its numerous views, sometimes exceptional, of many of Paris' most famous landmarks and monuments. With slightly more than 100 million riders in 2004, it is the sixth busiest line of the network. |
The line is {{convert|13.6|km|mi|abbr=on}} in length, of which {{convert|6.1|km|mi|abbr=on}} are above ground, and has been equipped with rubber-tyred rolling stock since 1974. The line is considered one of the most pleasant lines on the Métro, due to its numerous views, sometimes exceptional, of many of Paris' most famous landmarks and monuments. With slightly more than 100 million riders in 2004, it is the sixth busiest line of the network. |
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* '''6 November 1903:''' The line was extended from Trocadéro to Passy and became known as line 2 Sud (2 South). |
* '''6 November 1903:''' The line was extended from Trocadéro to Passy and became known as line 2 Sud (2 South). |
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* '''24 April 1906:''' Line 2 Sud was extended from Passy to Place d'Italie. |
* '''24 April 1906:''' Line 2 Sud was extended from Passy to Place d'Italie. |
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* '''14 October 1907:''' Line 2 Sud |
* '''14 October 1907:''' Line 2 Sud was incorporated into line 5. |
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* '''1 March 1909:''' Line 6 was opened between Place d'Italie and Nation. |
* '''1 March 1909:''' Line 6 was opened between Place d'Italie and Nation. |
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* '''12 October 1942:''' The Étoile – Place d'Italie section |
* '''12 October 1942:''' The Étoile – Place d'Italie section of line 5 was transferred to line 6. |
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* '''1974:''' The rails were converted for rubber-tyred trains in order to make the tracks quieter on the line's elevated sections. |
* '''1974:''' The rails were converted for rubber-tyred trains in order to make the tracks quieter on the line's elevated sections. |
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[[File:Metro6cropped.jpg|thumb|200px|left]] |
[[File:Metro6cropped.jpg|thumb|200px|left]] |
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* '''12 January 2023''' Cascading of MP 73 to MP 89CC rolling stock begins. |
* '''12 January 2023''' Cascading of MP 73 to MP 89CC rolling stock begins. |
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===''Le Circulaire sud''=== |
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Initially, the planners of the Métro envisaged a loop line similar to the [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle line]] of the [[London Underground]] that followed the route of the [ |
Initially, the planners of the Métro envisaged a loop line similar to the [[Circle line (London Underground)|Circle line]] of the [[London Underground]] that followed the route of the [https://fr.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boulevards_parisiens Exterior Boulevards]. However, the difficulties of operating such a long line forced a separation of the circle into two parts, a north ''circulaire'' and a south ''circulaire'', the divided at its intersections with Line 1 (Étoile and Nation). |
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The northern ''circulaire'', [[Paris Métro Line 2|Line 2]], opened in 1903. At the same time, the branch of Line 1 from Étoile to [[Trocadéro (Paris Métro)|Trocadéro]] that had opened in 1900 to service the World Exposition was extended southward to [[Passy (Paris Métro)|Passy]], and became the southern ''circulaire'', Line 2 ''Sud'', but only allowed four-car trains. On 24 April 1906, Line 2 ''Sud'' was extended to Place d'Italie.<ref name="jr">{{in lang|fr}} Robert, Jean. ''Notre métro''</ref> As connecting the Paris railway stations was an objective for the Métro, an initial plan was to run the southern ''circulaire'' from Place d'Italie to [[Gare d'Austerlitz]] to [[Gare de Lyon]], and from there operate along Line 1 to close the loop at Nation. But it was later decided to merge Line 2 ''Sud'' with Line 5, which was done in October 1907. Line 5 now ran trains from Étoile to [[Gare Montparnasse]] to [[Gare d'Austerlitz]] and thence to [[Gare du Nord]]. This consolidation eliminated the 2 Sud designation. |
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The northern circulator, now [[Paris Métro Line 2|Line 2]], opened in 1903, while the tracks from Étoile to [[Trocadéro (Paris Métro)|Trocadéro]] (referred to as Line 2 Sud) opened on 2 October 1900 as part of a branch of Line 1 meant to serve the World Expo of that year. The line was extended southward to [[Passy (Paris Métro)|Passy]] three years later but was not fully opened and only allowed four-car trains. |
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| ⚫ | Work on the line was not particularly difficult, apart from the occasional sewer displacements and land stabilisation around [[Denfert-Rochereau (Paris Métro)|Denfert-Rochereau]] due to old mines. On the other hand, the crossing of the [[Seine]] at Passy was much trickier; from 1903 to 1906, the construction of a viaduct over the [[Pont de Bir-Hakeim]] gave way to another project unrelated to the Métro. The original bridge, built in 1878, was replaced with one made of metal supporting the railway viaduct above. |
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The Line 5 consolidation resulted in construction of a new line to complete the circle: Line 6, between Place d'Italie and Nation via Bercy. Infrastructure works were completed by 1906, but the CMP (''La compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris'') was in no hurry to open what was perceived as a low-profit stretch of track. Prodded by the City of Paris, the CMP opened Line 6 on 1 March 1909. |
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| ⚫ | As a result of aerial bombardments during World War I, defensive measures were taken for the elevated rapid transit lines. Trains were no longer lit at night from February to July 1918. As a result of the reduced lighting, however, trains became incredibly dark when they went underground, resulting in complaints from passengers and employees. The CMP was authorised to make electrical and lighting changes. |
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On 24 April 1906, the line from Étoile to Place d'Italie opened.<ref name="jr">{{in lang|fr}} Robert, Jean. ''Notre métro''</ref> In October of the next year, it was decided to merge the ''circulaire sud'' with Line 5, as a result running trains between Étoile and [[Gare du Nord]] via Austerlitz. This consolidation eliminated the 2 Sud designation. |
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In 1931, to facilitate access to the [[Paris Colonial Exposition|Colonial Exhibition]] at the [[Bois de Vincennes]] from the southern part of the city, Line 6 took over the old LIne 2 Sud part of Line 5, creating a line from Étoile to Nation. After the exhibition closed, the old service pattern returned. |
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| ⚫ | The Line 6 route took its current form on 6 October 1942, when the Place d'Italie - Étoile section of Line 5 was again transferred to Line 6. It was judged that the new extension of Line 5 north to Pantin made that line too long. With Paris again subject to air attack, it was also desirable to separate the underground and elevated sections of Line 5. |
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At the time, Line 6 was confined to the railway between Place d'Italie and Nation. Infrastructure works were completed in 1906, but the CMP was in no hurry to open what was perceived as a low-profiting stretch of track. Upon the urging of the City of Paris, the CMP opened Line 6 on 1 March 1909 and remained this way until 1931, when the need for a link across the southern part of the city was needed to provide access to the [[Paris Colonial Exposition|Colonial Exhibition]] at the [[Bois de Vincennes]]. Engineers decided upon Line 6 taking over the section west of Place d'Italie so as to create a line from Étoile to Nation, with Line 5 ending at Place d'Italie. After the exhibition closed, the old service pattern returned. |
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| ⚫ | Work on the length of the current line 6 was not particularly difficult, apart from the occasional sewer displacements and land stabilisation around [[Denfert-Rochereau (Paris Métro)|Denfert-Rochereau]] due to old mines. On the other hand, the crossing of the [[Seine]] at Passy was much trickier; from 1903 to 1906, the construction of a viaduct over the Pont Passy (now [[Pont de Bir-Hakeim]]) gave way to another project unrelated to the Métro. The original bridge, built in 1878, was replaced with one made of metal supporting the railway viaduct above. In the east, another bridge had to be built above the [[Pont de Bercy]]. Originally finished in 1864, it was widened by {{convert|5.5|m|ft|abbr=on}} in order to accomodate the Métro and is the only viaduct in the system made of stone. Both the overpasses and underground stations in this section were designed similarly to those of Line 2 Nord, although elevated stations on the southern ''circulaire'' are fully covered with side-walls made of brick, not glass. |
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===Rubber tyre conversion=== |
===Rubber tyre conversion=== |
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Revision as of 18:45, 10 April 2024
 | You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in French. (April 2015) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
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| Line 6 | |
|---|---|
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 MP 73 stock train crosses the Seine via Pont de Bir-Hakeim | |
| Overview | |
| Locale | 1 commune |
| Termini | Charles de Gaulle–Étoile Nation |
| Connecting lines |                  |
| Stations | 28 |
| Service | |
| System | Paris Métro |
| Operator(s) | RATP |
| Rolling stock | MP 73 (34 trains as of 1 February 2024) MP 89CC (11 trains as of 2 March 2024) |
| Ridership | 100,700,000 (avg. per year) 6th/16 |
| History | |
| Opened | 1909 |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 13.6 km (8.5 mi) |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | 750 V DC third rail |
| Conduction system | Conductor |
| Average inter-station distance | 504 m (1,654 ft) |
Line 6 is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro rapid transit system. Following a semi-circular route around the southern half of the city above boulevards formed by the former 'Fermiers généraux' wall' of 1784-1860, it runs between Charles de Gaulle–Étoile in the west and Nation in the east. A significant part of the route is on elevated tracks.
The rails and stations of today's Line 6 were opened between 1900 and 1909, but took their current configuration only in 1942. The stretch between Étoile and Place d'Italieopened between 1900 and 1906 as Line 2 sud. In 1907, it was made part of Line 5. The section between Place d'Italie and Nation opened in 1909 as Line 6. In 1942, the Étoile – Place d'Italie section of Line 5 was transferred to line 6, creating today's Line 6 route.
The line is 13.6 km (8.5 mi) in length, of which 6.1 km (3.8 mi) are above ground, and has been equipped with rubber-tyred rolling stock since 1974. The line is considered one of the most pleasant lines on the Métro, due to its numerous views, sometimes exceptional, of many of Paris' most famous landmarks and monuments. With slightly more than 100 million riders in 2004, it is the sixth busiest line of the network.
Chronology
- 2 October 1900: The section between Étoile and Trocadéro opened as an extension of line 1.
- 6 November 1903: The line was extended from Trocadéro to Passy and became known as line 2 Sud (2 South).
- 24 April 1906: Line 2 Sud was extended from Passy to Place d'Italie.
- 14 October 1907: Line 2 Sud was incorporated into line 5.
- 1 March 1909: Line 6 was opened between Place d'Italie and Nation.
- 12 October 1942: The Étoile – Place d'Italie section of line 5 was transferred to line 6.
- 1974: The rails were converted for rubber-tyred trains in order to make the tracks quieter on the line's elevated sections.
- 12 January 2023 Cascading of MP 73 to MP 89CC rolling stock begins.
Le Circulaire sud
Initially, the planners of the Métro envisaged a loop line similar to the Circle line of the London Underground that followed the route of the Exterior Boulevards. However, the difficulties of operating such a long line forced a separation of the circle into two parts, a north circulaire and a south circulaire, the divided at its intersections with Line 1 (Étoile and Nation).
The northern circulaire, Line 2, opened in 1903. At the same time, the branch of Line 1 from Étoile to Trocadéro that had opened in 1900 to service the World Exposition was extended southward to Passy, and became the southern circulaire, Line 2 Sud, but only allowed four-car trains. On 24 April 1906, Line 2 Sud was extended to Place d'Italie.[1] As connecting the Paris railway stations was an objective for the Métro, an initial plan was to run the southern circulaire from Place d'Italie to Gare d'Austerlitz to Gare de Lyon, and from there operate along Line 1 to close the loop at Nation. But it was later decided to merge Line 2 Sud with Line 5, which was done in October 1907. Line 5 now ran trains from Étoile to Gare Montparnasse to Gare d'Austerlitz and thence to Gare du Nord. This consolidation eliminated the 2 Sud designation.
Line 6
The Line 5 consolidation resulted in construction of a new line to complete the circle: Line 6, between Place d'Italie and Nation via Bercy. Infrastructure works were completed by 1906, but the CMP (La compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris) was in no hurry to open what was perceived as a low-profit stretch of track. Prodded by the City of Paris, the CMP opened Line 6 on 1 March 1909.
As a result of aerial bombardments during World War I, defensive measures were taken for the elevated rapid transit lines. Trains were no longer lit at night from February to July 1918. As a result of the reduced lighting, however, trains became incredibly dark when they went underground, resulting in complaints from passengers and employees. The CMP was authorised to make electrical and lighting changes.
In 1931, to facilitate access to the Colonial Exhibition at the Bois de Vincennes from the southern part of the city, Line 6 took over the old LIne 2 Sud part of Line 5, creating a line from Étoile to Nation. After the exhibition closed, the old service pattern returned.
The Line 6 route took its current form on 6 October 1942, when the Place d'Italie - Étoile section of Line 5 was again transferred to Line 6. It was judged that the new extension of Line 5 north to Pantin made that line too long. With Paris again subject to air attack, it was also desirable to separate the underground and elevated sections of Line 5.
Work on the length of the current line 6 was not particularly difficult, apart from the occasional sewer displacements and land stabilisation around Denfert-Rochereau due to old mines. On the other hand, the crossing of the Seine at Passy was much trickier; from 1903 to 1906, the construction of a viaduct over the Pont Passy (now Pont de Bir-Hakeim) gave way to another project unrelated to the Métro. The original bridge, built in 1878, was replaced with one made of metal supporting the railway viaduct above. In the east, another bridge had to be built above the Pont de Bercy. Originally finished in 1864, it was widened by 5.5 m (18 ft) in order to accomodate the Métro and is the only viaduct in the system made of stone. Both the overpasses and underground stations in this section were designed similarly to those of Line 2 Nord, although elevated stations on the southern circulaire are fully covered with side-walls made of brick, not glass.
Rubber tyre conversion
A change in Line 6's operation occurred during the 1970s: Kléber station was expanded to four tracks with two island platforms, a rare arrangement in the Paris Métro, and converted to the line's control terminal, with Étoile acting as a simple turn-around stop.
After doing the same to Lines 1, 4, and 11, the RATP decided in 1971 to convert Line 6 to rubber-tyres for the sake of noise and vibration reduction not only to passengers but also residents near the elevated portions of the line. Work began the next year and finished in May 1974. During this time, a temporary yard was created with 810 m (2,660 ft) of track to facilitate vehicle movement. Simultaneously, the line was equipped with a central control station.
The MP 73 rolling stock quickly replaced the old Sprague-Thomson during the month of July 1974. Unlike the MP 59 cars which also have rubber tyres, the MP 73 stock has grooved ones for better adhesion on the long stretches of elevated track; the rails are ribbed for the same reason. No adhesion failures have been reported since the switchover, even in heavy rain.
From 2023, with the ongoing modernization and upcoming automation of Line 4, the MP 73 are being replaced by renovated and shortened MP 89CC railcars.
Route and stations
Rolling Stock
Currently, the rolling stock on Line 6 is the MP 73 Rolling Stock. From January 2023 onwards, the MP 89 removed from Paris Métro Line 4 as they get replaced by automated trains are being transferred to line 6 to replace the MP 73. These trains have been refurbished into the Île-de-France Mobilités livery and reduced to 5 cars.[2]
MP 89CC # 48 was the first to enter revenue service on 12 January 2023.
Renamed stations
| Date | Old name | New name | Notes |
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| 15 October 1907 | Avenue de Suffren | Rue de Sèvres | then on line 5 |
| 11 March 1910 | Montparnasse | Avenue du Maine | then on line 5 |
| 1 November 1913 | Rue de Sèvres | Sèvres – Lecourbe | then on line 5 |
| 30 June 1933 | Avenue du Maine | Bienvenüe | then on line 5 |
| 1 March 1937 | Saint-Mandé | Picpus | |
| 12 July 1939 | Charenton | Dugommier | |
| 6 October 1942 | Bienvenüe | Montparnasse – Bienvenüe | then on line 5 |
| 18 June 1949 | Grenelle | Bir-Hakeim | |
| 1970 | Étoile | Charles de Gaulle – Étoile |
Themed or unique stations
Four stations on Line 6 have unique, cultural theming:
- La Motte-Picquet – Grenelle contains several crests of the family of Toussaint-Guillaume Picquet de la Motte, who lends his name to the name of the street over which the station lies. Containing three blue chevrons and spearheads, a fresco represents the wall that used to be situated there.
- Pasteur, once renovated similar to Mouton-Duvernet station, now has displays about medicine installed during the centennial of the Métro. The panels describe the evolution of biology and medicine since the work of Louis Pasteur and their legal framework and application.
Tourism
- Some of the stations on line 6 are built on a viaduct offering views of Paris. The view from the Pont de Bir-Hakeim between Passy and Bir-Hakeim has an especially breathtaking panorama on the Eiffel Tower. Line 6 passes near several places of interest:
- The Place de l'Étoile and the Arc de Triomphe.
- The place du Trocadéro.
- The Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars.
- Montparnasse, with its famous cafés and the Montparnasse Tower.
- Place d'Italie and the Butte aux Cailles.
- At Bercy, the Ministry of Finance, Paris-Bercy sports Arena and their gardens.
- Place de la Nation.
Gallery
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Viaduct ramp west of Pasteur station -
New MP89 rolling stock at Kléber
See also
References
- ^ (in French) Robert, Jean. Notre métro
- ^ MP 89#Future transfers
External links
- (in French) RATP official website
- (in English) RATP english speaking website
- (in English) Interactive Map of the RER (from RATP's website)
- (in English) Interactive Map of the Paris métro (from RATP's website)
- (in French) Mobidf website, dedicated to the RER (unofficial)[permanent dead link]
- (in French) Metro-Pole website, dedicated to Paris public transports (unofficial)
- (in French and English) line6 Paris: Creative blog dedicated to the journey of travellers on Paris line6
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