Gare d'Auber

Auber (French pronunciation: ​[obɛːʁ]) is a station on RER A in Paris. Opened on 23 November 1971 and inaugurated during a ceremony by singers Dalida and Adamo, it is one of the largest vaulted underground stations in the world.

Auber
RER station
Platform in 2005
LocationFrance
Coordinates48.873°N 2.329°E / 48.873; 2.329
Owned byRATP
Operated byRATP
Line(s)
  
Platforms2
Tracks2
Other information
Station code8775859
Fare zone1
History
Opened23 November 1971 (1971-11-23)
Traffic
Passengers (2015)6,168,061
Services
Preceding station   RER   Following station
Charles de Gaulle–Étoile
toward Saint Germain-en-Laye, Cergy-le-Haut or Poissy
toward Boissy-Saint-Léger or Marne-la-Vallée–Chessy
Connections to other stations
Preceding station   Paris Métro   Following station
Transfer at: Havre – Caumartin
toward Gallieni
Transfer at: Opéra
toward Gallieni
Transfer at: Opéra
toward Balard
Transfer at: Opéra
Transfer at: Havre – Caumartin
Transfer at: Saint-Lazare
Transfer at: Saint-Lazare
Terminus
Transfer at: Saint-Lazare
toward Olympiades
Preceding station   RER   Following station
Terminus
Magenta
toward Chelles-Gournay or Tournan

The station comprises a main train hall with a superposed ticket hall, together with an extensive network of tunnels connecting to the neighbouring Métro stations Opéra, Havre–Caumartin and Saint-Lazare, as well as Haussmann–Saint-Lazare on RER E. It takes its name from Rue Auber, under which it is situated. This street is in turn named after the 19th-century composer Daniel Auber. A complete renovation of the station was started in 2017 and is due to be finished in 2022.

Engineering

Auber is built in the style of the traditional vaulted Métro station as pioneered by Fulgence Bienvenüe, with central tracks and lateral platforms. The difference in engineering terms is that Auber (along with Charles de Gaulle–Étoile and Nation stations) was constructed at depth, entirely underground, on a far larger scale than any Métro station.

To build the 225-metre long, 24-metre wide train hall and its even larger piggy-backing ticket hall, it was necessary to excavate a cavity 40-metre wide, 20-metre high and 250-metre long—this 30-metre underneath the busy city centre in unstable waterlogged sedimentary rock.[1]:33 The resulting station is cathedral-like in proportions, with a ticket hall so spacious that there is room for a mezzanine. The entire construction is waterproofed on both sides by a 7-metre thick, 10-metre high abutment of concrete which contains escalators linking the two levels.[1]:158

The station's eccentrically audacious scale and damp setting earned it references as "the world's largest submarine". With the other two deep single-vaulted stations on RER A it was retrospectively criticised on cost grounds. However, Auber is often mentioned as a good example of a planning policy attached to grand public spaces that was particularly current in the 1960s and in France.

Auber forms part of a complex of connected underground stations. The scale of Auber, in particular, makes the ensemble one of the largest underground stations in the world in terms of volume.

Particulate pollution

During busy periods, PM10 particle pollution caused by train braking regularly reaches 400 μg/m³ at Auber, eight times the EU Commission's daily average limit.[2]

  • Ticket hall of Auber
  • Ticket hall of Auber
  • Main hall
  • Renovation of the main hall in 2020

Connected stations

Auber is connected to the following stations:

See also
  • List of stations of the Paris RER
  • List of stations of the Paris Métro

References
  1. Gérondeau, Christian (2003). La Saga du RER et le maillon manquant. Presse de l'École nationale des ponts et chaussées. ISBN 2-85978-368-7.
  2. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 8 March 2013. Retrieved 24 March 2013.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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