Volontaires () is a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

on line 12 of the

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

located in the

15th arrondissement The 15th arrondissement of Paris () is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, it is referred to as ('the fifteenth'). The 15th arrondissement, called , is situated on the left bank of the River Seine. ...

. The station is named after the nearby ''rue des Volontaires''. In 1822, locals transformed an existing dead end into an alley that led to

rue de Vaugirard ''Ruta graveolens'', commonly known as rue, common rue or herb-of-grace, is a species of the genus '' Ruta'' grown as an ornamental plant and herb. It is native to the Mediterranean. It is grown throughout the world in gardens, especially fo ...

, hence, its initial name of ''Ruelle Volontaire'', with the "s" added later to pay homage to the soldiers of the French Revolution.

History

The station opened on 5 November 1910 as part of the original section of the Nord-Sud Company's line A between

Porte de Versailles Porte de Versailles () is a station on line 12 of the Paris Métro, a stop on tramway T3a as well as the southern terminus of tramway T2 in the 15th arrondissement. It is named after the ''Porte de Versailles'', a gate in the 19th century T ...

and Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. On 27 March 1931, line A became line 12 when It was taken over by the

Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris The Compagnie du chemin de fer métropolitain de Paris S.A. (Paris Metropolitan Railway Company Ltd.), or CMP, was a subsidiary of the Empain group that is the forerunner of the Régie Autonome des Transports Parisiens, RATP, the company managing ...

(CMP), incorporating it into the Paris Métro. From the 1950s, like most stations along the line, the platforms were modernised with the installation of red metal casings and golden advertising frames on the walls until 2015, when it was removed as part of the "Un métro + beau" programme by the

RATP The RATP Group () is a French state-owned enterprise (EPIC) that operates public transport systems primarily in Paris, France. Headquartered in Paris, it originally operated under the name (). Its logo represents the Seine's meandering path th ...

. It consisted of modernising the platforms by improving lighting, signages, as well as returning the characteristic beveled white tiles of the Paris métro to the station, thereby restoring the platforms to its original "Nord-Sud" decoration, while the station remained open. The new tiles were installed by May 2018, with all work completed by March 2019 after several delays and technical difficulties. In 2019, the station was used by 2,362,771 passengers, making it the 219th busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations. In 2020, the station was used by 1,111,705 passengers amidst the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, making it the 232nd busiest of the Métro network out of 304 stations. In 2021, the station was used by 1,734,848 passengers, making it the 203rd busiest of the Métro network out of 304 stations. On 7 April 2022, the

and in partnership with the Blomet Paradiso association, unveiled a new cultural panel along the corridors of the station. It details the rich artistic history of the district, often attributable to the Bal Blomet, a historic

cabaret Cabaret is a form of theatrical entertainment featuring music song, dance, recitation, or drama. The performance venue might be a pub, casino, hotel, restaurant, or nightclub with a stage for performances. The audience, often dining or drinking, ...

of the

Roaring Twenties The Roaring Twenties, sometimes stylized as Roaring '20s, refers to the 1920s decade in music and fashion, as it happened in Western world, Western society and Western culture. It was a period of economic prosperity with a distinctive cultura ...

Montparnasse Montparnasse () is an area in the south of Paris, France, on the left bank of the river Seine, centred at the crossroads of the Boulevard du Montparnasse and the Rue de Rennes, between the Rue de Rennes and boulevard Raspail. It is split betwee ...

that

Joséphine Baker Freda Josephine Baker (; June 3, 1906 – April 12, 1975), naturalized as Joséphine Baker, was an American and French dancer, singer, and actress. Her career was centered primarily in Europe, mostly in France. She was the first Black woman to s ...

Simone de Beauvoir Simone Lucie Ernestine Marie Bertrand de Beauvoir (, ; ; 9 January 1908 – 14 April 1986) was a French existentialist philosopher, writer, social theorist, and feminist activist. Though she did not consider herself a philosopher, nor was she ...

, and

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

frequented.

Passenger services

Access

The station has a single access at

. Unusually, it consists of an entrance and an exit both located within the same building at the corner of ''rue de Vaugirard'' and ''rue des Volontaires'', a rare occurrence on the network. The entrance is along ''rue de Vaugirard'' whereas the exit is along ''rue des Volontaires''.

Station layout

Platforms

The station has a standard configuration with 2 tracks surrounded by 2 side platforms. The lower portion of the side walls are vertical instead of elliptical, as are the other stations constructed by the Nord-Sud company (today on lines 12 and 13). It is distinguished by the presence of niches along the entire length of the side walls, hence, are devoid of advertisements.

Other connections

The station is also served by lines 39, 70, and 89 of the RATP bus network, and at night, by lines N13 and N62 of the

Noctilien Noctilien is the night bus service in Paris and its agglomeration. It is managed by the Île-de-France Mobilités (formerly the STIF), the Île-de-France regional public transit authority, and operated by RATP (with 32 lines) and Transilien S ...

bus network.

Gallery

File:Volontaires rénovée quai Issy par Cramos.JPG, The station after the renovation File:Accès Station Métro Volontaires Rue Vaugirard - Paris XV (FR75) - 2022-01-22 - 2.jpg, Entrance of the station. The exit is on the other side. File:Accès Station Métro Volontaires Rue Volontaires - Paris XV (FR75) - 2022-01-22 - 2.jpg, Exit

References

*Roland, Gérard (2003). ''Stations de métro. D’Abbesses à Wagram.'' Éditions Bonneton. {{DEFAULTSORT:Volontaires (Paris Metro) Paris Métro stations in the 15th arrondissement of Paris Railway stations in France opened in 1910 Paris Métro line 12