Saint-Martin () is a

ghost station A ghost station is a disused train station through which revenue-service passenger trains (especially rapid transit trains) pass but at which they do not stop. The term is also sometimes used for any unused underground station or any unused s ...

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 ...

, located on lines 8 and 9 between the stations of Strasbourg - Saint-Denis and République, on the border of the

3rd Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * Second#Sexagesimal divisions of calendar time and day, 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (d ...

and

10th 10 (ten) is the even natural number following 9 and preceding 11. Ten is the base of the decimal numeral system, by far the most common system of denoting numbers in both spoken and written language. It is the first double-digit number. The rea ...

arrondissements of

Paris 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 ...

History

The station was closed on 2 September 1939 at the start of

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

. It reopened after the French Liberation with a lot of traffic passing through, but was eventually closed again as a result of its proximity to the neighboring station of ''Strasbourg - Saint-Denis'', which lies only 100 metres away. In the past, the station served to shelter

homeless Homelessness or houselessness – also known as a state of being unhoused or unsheltered – is the condition of lacking stable, safe, and adequate housing. People can be categorized as homeless if they are: * living on the streets, also kn ...

persons, and the eastern section of the location is currently used as a day shelter for the homeless (managed by

the Salvation Army The Salvation Army (TSA) is a Protestant church and an international charitable organisation headquartered in London, England. The organisation reports a worldwide membership of over 1.7million, comprising soldiers, officers and adherents col ...

). In 2008, the line 8 tracks were walled off from the platform. In March 2010, the tracks of the station along line 9 hosted a publicity event for the

Nissan Qashqai The Nissan Qashqai () is a compact crossover SUV (C-segment) developed and produced by the Japanese car manufacturer Nissan since 2006. The first generation of the vehicle was sold under the name in Japan and Australia, and Qashqai in other marke ...

, with many vehicles being transported on the platforms of this ghost station, which was also redecorated for the occasion with a number of lighting effects. Bees have been flying around this station since the 1980s.

Current

The physical entrance to the Saint-Martin station is still available from the street. To view it, take the Metro to the Strasbourg-Saint-Denis station, exit the station, and head east on Boulevard Saint-Martin about three minutes, walking towards République. The entrance will be on the right-hand side of the street, in a sunken part of the sidewalk. The entrance is covered in graffiti.

Gallery

File:Saint-Martin (Paris Metro).png, Location of the station. File:Saint-Martin1.jpg, One of the tracks. File:Subway-Saint-Martin-03.jpg, The station is heavily

graffiti Graffiti (plural; singular ''graffiti'' or ''graffito'', the latter rarely used except in archeology) is art that is written, painted or drawn on a wall or other surface, usually without permission and within public view. Graffiti ranges from s ...

ed. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint-Martin (Paris Metro) Ghost stations of the Paris Métro Railway stations in France opened in 1931 Railway stations closed in 1939