Olympiades station () is a station on Line 14 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 ...

. The station was formally inaugurated on 15 June 2007 in the presence of the Mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë. It was opened to the general public at just before 5:30 a.m. on 26 June 2007. It takes its name from the area of high-rise residential tower blocks known as

Les Olympiades Les Olympiades () is a district of residential towers located in the 13th arrondissement of Paris, 13th arrondissement of Paris, France. Built from 1969 to 1974, the district consists of a dozen towers built along a huge esplanade, elevated eight ...

in the heart of Paris's 13th arrondissement, to the east of the station Tolbiac, a quarter of Paris that was previously poorly served by the Metro. This area also contains the Tolbiac centre of the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

and the largest

Chinatown Chinatown ( zh, t=唐人街) is the catch-all name for an ethnic enclave of Chinese people located outside Greater China, most often in an urban setting. Areas known as "Chinatown" exist throughout the world, including Europe, Asia, Africa, O ...

within Paris. Since the opening of the station, residents of the area, as well as staff and students at the university, can now access Saint-Lazare railway station in 13 minutes and the centre of Paris in around 10 minutes. The station entrance is at the intersection of the Rue de Tolbiac and Rue Nationale. The station served as the southern terminus of Line 14 until it was extended south to Aéroport d'Orly on 24 June 2024.

History

Originally called "Tolbiac-Nationale" in the initial Line 14 project, the opening of this station as part of the link between Saint Lazare and Maison Blanche station, was delayed due to a financial shortfall. The plans for Line 14 were revised and a first stage was embarked upon, in which the line ran from Madeleine to Bibliothèque François Mitterrand. This section was opened in 1998, from which the present station Olympiades was used as a temporary maintenance facility. A new extension of the line of 676 metres was later decided upon and allocated funds; the maintenance facility was moved further down the tunnel. Like the rest of Line 14, the extension is essentially composed of a monotubular tunnel containing two tracks, one for each direction. The extension was delayed by almost a year after its construction caused the collapse of the playground of Auguste-Perret school, located above one of the underground facilities. Further problems were encountered with the extension's automatisation. The chosen name provoked tensions between the RATP (the Parisian transport authority), the city of Paris and the Comité National Olympique et Sportif Français (French National Olympic and Sport Committee), which owned the name. An agreement reached at the start of July 2006 found a compromise by allowing the use of this name within the restricted context of public transport. A southern extension of Line 14 from Olympiades to

Orly Airport Paris Orly Airport (, ) is one of two international airports serving Paris, France, the other one being Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG). It is located partially in Orly and partially in Villeneuve-le-Roi, south of Paris. It serves as a sec ...

, with 6 intermediate stations, was built for the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. A new maintenance facility was built in Morangis, replacing the facility in the tail tracks at Olympiades. The extension opened on 24 June 2024.

Architecture

The station's architecture is in keeping with the other stations of Line 14. It is marked by concrete vaults as well as a high ceiling and platforms that are wider than average in the Paris Metro system.

Station layout

Gallery

Metro Paris - Ligne 14 - station Olympiades 04.jpg, Line 14 platforms at Olympiades Metro Paris - Ligne 14 - station Olympiades 05.jpg, Line 14 platforms at Olympiades Metro Paris - Ligne 14 - station Olympiades 07.jpg, Line 14 platforms at Olympiades Métrolinie 14 (Paris).jpg, View of Olympiades from train Metro Paris - Ligne 14 - station Olympiades 03.jpg, Platform signage at Olympiades Station Métro Olympiades Paris 2.jpg, MP 05 rolling stock at Olympiades Metro Paris - Ligne 14 - station Olympiades - Plan 01.jpg, Line 14 map at Olympiades

References

External links