Paris Métro Line 7

Paris Métro Line 7 is one of sixteen lines of the Paris Métro system. Crossing the capital from its north-eastern to south-eastern sections via a moderately curved path, it links La Courneuve – 8 Mai 1945 in the north with Mairie d'Ivry and Villejuif – Louis Aragon in the south, while passing through important parts of central Paris.

Line 7
Overview
SystemParis Métro
TerminiLa Courneuve – 8 Mai 1945
Villejuif - Louis Aragon / Mairie d'Ivry
Connecting lines


Stations38
Ridership120.7 million (avg. per year)
3
Operation
Opened5 November 1910
Operator(s)RATP
Rolling stockMF 77, 5 carriages per trainset
Technical
Line length22.4 km (13.9 mi)
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in) standard gauge
Electrification750 V DC third rail
Route map

proposed extension 
Le Bourget
proposed extension
La Courneuve – 8 mai 1945
Fort d'Aubervilliers
Aubervilliers – Pantin – Quatre Chemins
La Villette shops
Porte de la Villette
Corentin Cariou
Crimée
Riquet
Stalingrad
 
Pré Saint-Gervais
 
Place des Fêtes
Danube
Botzaris
Buttes Chaumont
Bolivar
Jaurès
Louis Blanc
Château-Landon
Gare de l'Est 
Poissonnière
Cadet
Le Peletier
Chaussée d'Antin – La Fayette
Opéra
Pyramides
Palais Royal – Musée du Louvre
Pont Neuf
Châtelet
Pont Marie
Sully – Morland
Seine
Jussieu
Place Monge
Censier – Daubenton
Les Gobelins
Place d'Italie
Tolbiac
Maison Blanche
Porte d'Italie
Porte de Choisy
Porte d'Ivry
Choisy shops
Pierre et Marie Curie
Mairie d'Ivry
Le Kremlin-Bicêtre
Villejuif – Léo Lagrange
Villejuif – Paul Vaillant-Couturier
Villejuif – Louis Aragon


Line 7 began operating in 1910 and, along with Line 13, is one of only two Métro lines that has a branch. Originally located in the northeast and splitting at Louis Blanc, it was transferred in 1967 to what is now Line 7bis. In 1982, a new branch was added in the southeast to Mairie d'Ivry, branching off at Maison Blanche. Line 7 has only steel rails.

At 18.6 km (12 mi), Line 7 is one of the longest in the Paris Métro network. In addition, it contains the most stations as well as being the third most-used line of the Métro, with 120.7 million riders in 2004.[1]

History

Chronology

  • 5 November 1910: Line 7 was opened linking Opéra to Porte de la Villette.
  • 18 January 1911: A new branch was opened from Louis Blanc to Pré-Saint-Gervais.
  • 1 July 1916: The line was extended in the south from Opéra to Palais Royal.
  • 16 April 1926: The line was extended from Palais Royal to Pont Marie.
  • 15 February 1930: While a tunnel was being built on line 7 to cross the River Seine, a new section between Place Monge and Place d'Italie was opened and temporarily operated as part of Line 10.
  • 3 June 1930: The line was extended from Pont Marie to Pont de Sully.
  • 7 March 1930: That section temporarily operating as part of Line 10 was extended from Place d'Italie to Porte de Choisy.
  • 26 April 1931: The section between Pont de Sully and Place Monge was opened. The section between Place Monge and Porte de Choisy was transferred to Line 7 and it was extended to Porte d'Ivry simultaneously.
  • 1 May 1946: The line was extended from Porte d'Ivry to Mairie d'Ivry.
  • 1967: Because of a lack of traffic, the northern branch of the line 7 between Louis Blanc and Pré-Saint-Gervais became a new independent line known as Line 7bis.
  • 4 October 1979: The line was extended to the north from Porte de la Villette to Fort d'Aubervilliers.
  • 10 December 1982: A new branch was opened to the south from Maison Blanche to Le Kremlin-Bicêtre.
  • 28 February 1985 : The line was extended from Le Kremlin-Bicêtre to Villejuif Louis Aragon.
  • 6 May 1987: The line was extended from Fort d'Aubervilliers to La Courneuve – 8 mai 1945.

Future

  • An extension of Line 7 from La Courneuve to Le Bourget may be considered in the future.
  • The southern fork of the line from Maison Blanche to Villejuif – Louis Aragon may be taken over by line 14 in the future.
  • Line 7bis, the branch line of line 7, may be merged with line 3bis to form a new line, with its western terminus at Château-Landon on line 7.

Route and stations

Geographically accurate diagram of Paris metro line 7

Route

Line 7 runs for 18.6 km (12 mi) completely underground, stopping at 38 stations. Southbound trains terminate alternately at Villejuif - Louis Aragon and Mairie d'Ivry, diverging at Maison Blanche. Late at night, through trains only operate to Mairie d'Ivry; a shuttle train to Villejuif originates at Maison Blanche.

In the north, the line begins at La Courneuve in the department of Seine-Saint-Denis at the intersection of National Routes 2 and 186. La Courneuve station acts as a transfer between the Métro and Paris' fragmented, suburban tramway system, with a station on Paris Tramway Line 1 (T1). Unlike most stations in Paris, there are three tracks, the central one used for departures and arrivals.

Running below National Route 2 (RN2), the line heads to the south-west, entering Paris in two single-line tunnels so as to avoid a now-unused terminal loop at Porte de la Villette. It then descends a 4% grade below Canal Saint-Denis and then climbs back up to stop at Corentin Cariou. Two stations beyond, Line 7 reaches Stalingrad, an important transfer point in the Métro system, where the line turns to run below Rue La Fayette.[2]

Renamed stations

DateOld nameNew name
1 November 1926Pont Notre-DamePont Notre-Dame – Pont au Change
15 April 1934Pont Notre-Dame – Pont au ChangeChâtelet
6 October 1942Boulevard de la VilletteAubervilliers – Boulevard de la Villette
10 February 1946Pont de FlandreCorentin Cariou
Aubervilliers – Boulevard de la VilletteStalingrad
1989Chaussée d'AntinChaussée d'Antin – La Fayette
8 March 2007Pierre CuriePierre et Marie Curie

Tourism

Metro Line 7 passes near several places of interest :

See also

References

  1. Les chriffres 2005 Archived 17 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine STIF Retrieved 23 October 2010 (in French)
  2. Tricoire, Jean. Un siècle de métro en 14 lignes. De Bienvenüe à Météor
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