Télégraphe () is a station on Line 11 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 ...

in the 19th and 20th arrondissements. It is named after the nearby rue de Télégraphe, which was once a ''

chemin de ronde A ''chemin de ronde'' ( French, "round path"' or "patrol path"; ), also called an allure, alure or, more prosaically, a wall-walk, is a raised protected walkway behind a castle battlement. In early fortifications, high castle walls were difficu ...

'' (a raised protected walkway behind a

battlement A battlement, in defensive architecture, such as that of city walls or castles, comprises a parapet (a defensive low wall between chest-height and head-height), in which gaps or indentations, which are often rectangular, occur at intervals ...

) of the park of the ''Château de Ménilmontant''. Its name comes from the optical telegraph invented by

Claude Chappe Claude Chappe (; 25 December 1763 – 23 January 1805) was a French inventor who in 1792 demonstrated a practical semaphore line, semaphore system that eventually spanned all of France. His system consisted of a series of towers, each within l ...

(1763–1805) in 1792. This was the first practical

telecommunications Telecommunication, often used in its plural form or abbreviated as telecom, is the transmission of information over a distance using electronic means, typically through cables, radio waves, or other communication technologies. These means of ...

system, but was eventually replaced by the

electric telegraph Electrical telegraphy is Point-to-point (telecommunications), point-to-point distance communicating via sending electric signals over wire, a system primarily used from the 1840s until the late 20th century. It was the first electrical telecom ...

. Chappe installed the relay station, containing the telegraph's apparatus which he called a ''tachygraphe'', on this peak of 128 meters altitude.

History

The station opened as part of the original section of the line from Châtelet to Porte des Lilas on 28 April 1935. On 1 April 2016, half of the nameplates on the station's platforms were temporarily replaced by the RATP as part of

April Fool's Day April Fools' Day or April Fool's Day (rarely called All Fools' Day) is an annual custom on the 1st of April consisting of practical jokes, hoaxes, and pranks. Jokesters often expose their actions by shouting "April Fool " at the recipient. Mas ...

, along with 12 other stations. It was humorously renamed "#TWEET", a reference to the evolution of

text messaging Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile phones, tablet computers, smartwatches, desktops/laptops, or ...

in the 21st century and as a tribute to

Twitter Twitter, officially known as X since 2023, is an American microblogging and social networking service. It is one of the world's largest social media platforms and one of the most-visited websites. Users can share short text messages, image ...

. As part of modernization works for the extension of the Line to in 2023 for the

Grand Paris Express The Grand Paris Express (; GPE) is a project consisting of new rapid transit lines and the extension of existing lines being built in the Île-de-France region of France. The project comprises four new lines for the Paris Métro, plus extensions ...

, the station was closed from 8 June 2019 to 15 July 2019 to raise its platform levels and its surface tiled to accommodate the new rolling stock that will be used ( MP 14) to accommodate the expected increase passengers and to improve the station's accessibility. An additional entrance will also added at the corner of rue de Belleville and rue du Docteur Potain and will be equipped with a lift. In 2019, the station was used by 1,823,734 passengers, making it the 257th busiest of the Métro network out of 302 stations. In 2020, the station was used by 1,194,040 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 220th busiest of the Métro network out of 305 stations.

Passenger services

Access

The station has 3 entrances: * Entrance 1: rue du Télégraphe * Entrance 2: rue de Belleville * Entrance 3: Cimetière de Belleville

Station layout

Platforms

The station has a standard configuration with 2 tracks surrounded by 2 side platforms. The station's tracks are separated by a supporting wall to strengthen the

station box A station box is a term in the construction industry: It describes a box-like underground structure for a transportation system, for example a metro or tube station. Station boxes are built in two methods – "top-down" or "bottom-up". In the "bot ...

as it is built in soft ground. Due to the significant depth of the platforms, certain landings between flights of stairs that led to the mezzanine level were equipped with seats for travellers to rest. This was removed during the station's renovation and modernisation as part of the "Un métro + beau" programme by the RATP on 28 June 2016. This feature still exists at

Buttes Chaumont The Parc des Buttes Chaumont (; English: Park of Buttes Chaumont) is a public park situated in northeastern Paris, France, in the 19th arrondissement of Paris, 19th arrondissement. Occupying , it is the fifth-largest park in Paris, after the Boi ...

Other connections

The station is also served by lines 20 and 60 of the RATP bus network, and at night, by lines N12 and N23 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:Accès Station Métro Télégraphe Rue Télégraphe - Paris XX (FR75) - 2022-01-01 - 6.jpg, Entrance 1 File:Accès Station Métro Télégraphe Rue Belleville - Paris XIX (FR75) - 2022-01-01 - 1.jpg, Entrance 2 File:Accès Station Télégraphe Métro Paris Rue Docteur Potain - Paris XIX (FR75) - 2023-07-26 - 3.jpg, Entrance opened in 2023

References

*Roland, Gérard (2003). ''Stations de métro. D’Abbesses à Wagram.'' Éditions Bonneton. {{DEFAULTSORT:Telegraphe (Paris Metro) Paris Métro line 11 Paris Métro stations in the 19th arrondissement of Paris Paris Métro stations in the 20th arrondissement of Paris Railway stations in France opened in 1935