Paris Métro Line 7

Paris Métro Line 7 is one of sixteen lines of the Paris Métro system. Crossing the capital from its north-eastern to south-eastern sections via a moderately curved path, it links La Courneuve – 8 mai 1945 in the north with Mairie d'Ivry and Villejuif – Louis Aragon in the south, while passing through important parts of central Paris.

Line 7 began operating in 1910 and, along with Line 13, is one of only two Métro lines that has a branch. Originally located in the northeast and splitting at Louis Blanc, it was transferred in 1967 to what is now Line 7bis. In 1982, a new branch was added in the southeast to Mairie d'Ivry, branching off at Maison Blanche. Line 7 has only steel rails.

At , Line 7 is one of the longest in the Paris Métro network. In addition, it contains the most stations as well as being the third most-used line of the Métro, with 120.7 million riders in 2004.Les chriffres 2005
''STIF'' Retrieved 23 October 2010

History

Chronology

*5 November 1910: Line 7 was opened linking Opéra to Porte de la Villette.
*18 January 1911: A new branch was opened from Louis Blanc to Pré-Saint-Gervais.
*1 July 1916: The line was extended in the south from Opéra to Palais Royal.
*16 April 1926: The line was extended from Palais Royal to Pont Marie.
*15 February 1930: While a tunnel was being built on line 7 to cross the River Seine, a new section between Place Monge and Place d'Italie was opened and temporarily operated as part of Line 10.
*3 June 1930: The line was extended from Pont Marie to Pont de Sully.
*7 March 1930: That section temporarily operating as part of Line 10 was extended from Place d'Italie to Porte de Choisy.
*26 April 1931: The section between Pont de Sully and Place Monge was opened. The section between Place Monge and Porte de Choisy was transferred to Line 7 and it was extended to Porte d'Ivry simultaneously.
*1 May 1946: The line was extended from Porte d'Ivry to Mairie d'Ivry.
*1967: Because of a lack of traffic, the northern branch of the line 7 between Louis Blanc and Pré-Saint-Gervais became a new independent line known as Line 7bis.
*4 October 1979: The line was extended to the north from Porte de la Villette to Fort d'Aubervilliers.
*10 December 1982: A new branch was opened to the south from Maison Blanche to Le Kremlin-Bicêtre.
*28 February 1985 : The line was extended from Le Kremlin-Bicêtre to Villejuif Louis Aragon.
*6 May 1987: The line was extended from Fort d'Aubervilliers to La Courneuve – 8 mai 1945.

Future

*An extension of Line 7 from La Courneuve to Le Bourget may be considered in the future.
*Line 7bis, the branch line of line 7, may be merged with line 3bis to form a new line, with its western terminus at Château-Landon on line 7.

Route and stations

Route

Line 7 runs for completely underground, stopping at 38 stations. Southbound trains terminate alternately at Villejuif - Louis Aragon and Mairie d'Ivry, diverging at Maison Blanche. Late at night, through trains only operate to Mairie d'Ivry; a shuttle train to Villejuif originates at Maison Blanche.

In the north, the line begins at La Courneuve in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis at the intersection of National Routes 2 and 186. La Courneuve station acts as a transfer between the Métro and Paris' fragmented, suburban tramway system, with a station on Paris Tramway Line 1 (T1). Unlike most stations in Paris, there are three tracks, the central one used for departures and arrivals.

Running below National Route 2 (RN2), the line heads to the south-west, entering Paris in two single-line tunnels so as to avoid a now-unused terminal loop at Porte de la Villette. It then descends a 4% grade below Canal Saint-Denis and then climbs back up to stop at Corentin Cariou. Two stations beyond, Line 7 reaches Stalingrad, an important transfer point in the Métro system, where the line turns to run below Rue La Fayette.Tricoire, Jean. ''Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor''

Renamed stations

Tourism

Metro Line 7 passes near several places of interest :
*The Parc de la Villette with the Cités des Sciences et de l'Industrie.
*The Opera Garnier.
*The Latin Quarter.
*Place d'Italie and the Butte aux Cailles.
*One of Paris' "Chinatowns" in the south of the 13th arrondissement.

See also

References

External links

*
RATP Official Website (French)
*
RATP English-language website
*
Interactive Map of the RER (from RATP's website)
*
Interactive Map of the Paris Métro (from RATP's website)
*
Mobidf website, dedicated to the RER (unofficial)
*
Metro-Pole website, dedicated to Paris public transport (unofficial)

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Railway lines opened in 1910