La Défense () is a station of the

Transilien Transilien () is the brand name given to the commuter rail network serving Île-de-France, the region surrounding and including the city of Paris. The network consists of eight lines: Transilien Line H, H, Transilien Line J, J, Transilien Line ...

(

Réseau Saint-Lazare Réseau Saint-Lazare is the network of railway lines originating from Saint Lazare Station in Paris. The network stretches from Paris to Normandy and encompasses suburban services. Parisian suburban rail services are operated under SNCF's brand n ...

) suburban rail lines, RER commuter rail network,

Paris Métro The Paris Métro (french: Métro de Paris ; short for Métropolitain ) is a rapid transit system in the Paris metropolitan area, France. A symbol of the Paris, city, it is known for its density within the capital's territorial limits, uniform ar ...

, as well as a stop of the Île-de-France tram network. In the future,

Paris Metro Line 15 Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

Grand Paris Express Grand Paris Express is a group of new rapid transit lines being built in the Île-de-France region of France. The project comprises four new lines for Paris Métro, plus extensions of existing Lines 11 and 14. A total of of new track and 68 n ...

will pass through here, making it a huge railway hub. It is underneath the

Grande Arche La Grande Arche de la Défense (; "The Great Arch of the Defense"), originally called La Grande Arche de la Fraternité (; "Fraternity"), is a monument and building in the business district of La Défense and in the commune of Puteaux, to the west ...

building in

La Défense La Défense () is a major business district in France, located west of the city limits of Paris. It is part of the Paris metropolitan area in the Île-de-France region, located in the department of Hauts-de-Seine in the communes of Courbevoie, ...

, the business district just west of Paris. The station is the western terminus of Métro Line 1 and connects the

RER A RER A is one of the five lines in the Réseau Express Régional (English: Regional Express Network), a hybrid commuter rail and rapid transit system serving Paris, France and its suburbs. The line crosses the region from east to west, with all t ...

line to the Métro Line 1 station La Défense–Grande Arche since 1992, the Line 2 tramway since 1994 and

SNCF The Société nationale des chemins de fer français (; abbreviated as SNCF ; French for "National society of French railroads") is France's national state-owned railway company. Founded in 1938, it operates the country's national rail traffi ...

(Transilien) train station. It is also attached to a major shopping centre. There are over 25 million entries and exits each year. A temporary special

service began in to serve the newly-built

Centre of New Industries and Technologies The Centre of New Industries and Technologies ( French: Centre des nouvelles industries et technologies, abbreviated CNIT), located in Puteaux, France, is the first building ever to be developed in La Défense, west of Paris, France. It functions ...

(CNIT); the RER entered service on . Highlights on the surface nearby include the monumental Grande Arche, skyscrapers that host the headquarters of important French and foreign companies, and works of

urban art Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

such as ''Le Pouce'' by

César Baldaccini César (born Cesare Baldaccini; 1 January 1921 – 6 December 1998), also occasionally referred to as César Baldaccini (), was a noted French sculptor. César was at the forefront of the Nouveau Réalisme movement with his radical compressio ...

. From the central esplanade the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile (, , ; ) is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Place de l'Étoile—the ''étoile'' ...

can be seen further down the ''

Axe historique The ''Axe historique'' (; "historical axis") is a line of monuments, buildings, and thoroughfares that extends from the centre of Paris, France, to the west. It is also known as the ''Voie Triomphale'' (; "triumphal way"). The Axe Historique ...

''. Until May 2004, this part of

hosted an information centre of the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been des ...

managed by the

European Parliament The European Parliament (EP) is one of the legislative bodies of the European Union and one of its seven institutions. Together with the Council of the European Union (known as the Council and informally as the Council of Ministers), it adopts ...

. Like the district it serves, the station takes its name from the 19th-century statue ''La Défense de Paris'', commemorating the Franco-Prussian War.

Lines serving this station

* RER Line A (Paris Zone 1–2 tickets not valid) * Line 1 (terminus, Paris Zone 1–2 tickets valid) * Paris St Lazare Group III : ** SNCF Gare Saint-Lazare – St Nom la Breteche–Forêt de Marly ** SNCF Gare Saint-Lazare – Versailles Rive Droite * SNCF La Défense – La Verrière * Tram Line 2 There are four platforms in the Transilien station : In the morning: * Platforms 1 and 3 are used for PSL Group III lines to Paris * Platform 2 is used for PSL Group III lines to Versailles Rive Droite / St Nom la Breteche – Forêt de Marly * Platform 4 is used for La Défense – La Verrière line In the afternoon: * Platform 1 is used for PSL Group III lines to Paris * Platforms 2 and 4 are used for PSL Group III lines to Versailles Rive Droite / St Nom la Breteche – Forêt de Marly * Platform 3 is used for La Défense – La Verrière line

Station layout (Paris Métro)

*Note: These are two side platforms located some distance apart, as opposed to one island platform; the layout does not show the platforms accurately.

Gallery

File:Gare RATP La Défense.JPG,

platforms File:Gare SNCF La Défense.JPG,

platforms File:Paris 06 2012 T2 tram 3156.JPG,

Paris Tramway Line 2 Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

platform

Metro

Station Défense Métro Paris Ligne 1 - Puteaux (FR92) - 2022-07-02 - 6.jpg,

MP 05 The MP 05 (French : Métro sur Pneu d'appel d'offres de 2005)''Rubber-tyred metro ordered in 2005'' is a rubber-tyred electric multiple unit with driverless operation ordered by the RATP in 2005 for the Paris Métro. The original 49 units were ...

on Line 1 Metro L1 Grande-Arche IMG 5581.jpg,

MP 89 The MP 89 (French : Métro sur Pneus d'appel d'offres de 1989) is a rubber tired variant of electric multiple units used on the Paris Métro. Designed by Roger Tallon, two types are built by GEC-Alsthom for service on Lines 4 and 14, and so ...

at La Défense (eastbound platform) Metro L1 Grande-Arche IMG 1600.JPG, New

automatic platform gate Automatic may refer to: Music Bands * Automatic (band), Australian rock band * Automatic (American band), American rock band * The Automatic, a Welsh alternative rock band Albums * ''Automatic'' (Jack Bruce album), a 1983 electronic ro ...

s on eastbound platform

In popular culture

Buffet froid ''Buffet froid'' is a 1979 French film written and directed by Bertrand Blier, starring Gérard Depardieu, Carole Bouquet, Bernard Blier and Jean Carmet. The film is a surreal black comedy portrayed as a crime thriller, set in Paris where contemp ...

, the film, begins at La Défense station.

References

Bibliography

*Roland, Gérard (2003). ''Stations de métro. D’Abbesses à Wagram.'' Éditions Bonneton.

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Defense station Paris Métro stations in Puteaux Réseau Express Régional stations Railway stations in Hauts-de-Seine La Défense Railway stations in France opened in 1992 Railway stations located underground in France