Paris Métro Line 3 (
French: ''Ligne 3 du métro de Paris'') is one of the sixteen lines of the
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 ...
. It connects
Pont de Levallois–Bécon station in the near northwestern suburbs to
Gallieni in the east, where Paris's international bus station is located. After opening as the network's third line in 1904, it was the subject of a number of extensions, with a major restructuring occurring in the eastern section in 1971, with an extension to Gallieni and the conversion of the original terminal branch to
Line 3bis.
With a length of , Line 3 crosses Paris from west to east completely on the
Rive Droite
The Rive Droite (, ''Right Bank'') is most commonly associated with the river Seine in central Paris. Here, the river flows roughly westwards, cutting the city into two parts. When facing downstream, the northern bank is to the right, and the sout ...
, serving the residential areas of the
17th arrondissement
The 17th arrondissement of Paris (''XVIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ''le dix-septième'' (; "the seventeenth").
The arrondissement, known as Batignoll ...
, the
Gare Saint-Lazare
The Gare Saint-Lazare (English: St Lazarus station), officially Paris-Saint-Lazare, is one of the six large mainline railway station termini in Paris, France. It serves train services toward Normandy, northwest of Paris, along the Paris–Le Hav ...
, important stores and shopping centres, the area around the
Place de l'Opéra
The Place de l'Opéra is a square in the 9th arrondissement of Paris, 9th arrondissement of Paris, at the junction of the Boulevard des Italiens, Boulevard des Capucines, Avenue de l'Opéra, , , Rue de la Paix and . It was built at the same time a ...
, as well as the east of the city, around
République station. In 2017, it carried 101.4 million riders, making it the tenth busiest line of the Métro network.
History
Chronology
*10 October 1904: The first portion of Line 3 was opened between Père Lachaise cemetery and Villiers. Work took longer than expected because of existing infrastructure.
*25 January 1905: The line was extended in the east from Père Lachaise to Gambetta.
*2