Paris Métro Line 7

Line 7
Year opened	1910
Last extension	1987
Rolling stock	MF 77 5 carriages per trainset
Stations served	38
Terminal stations	La Courneuve – 8 Mai 1945 Villejuif - Louis Aragon/Mairie d'Ivry
Length	22.4 km (13.9 mi)
Average interstation	605 m
Journeys made	120.7 million (per annum)

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 began service in 1910 and, along with Line 13, is one of only two lines of the Métro to contain a spur. Originally located to the north and splitting at Louis Blanc, the spur was disconnected in 1967 and turned into what is now Paris Métro Line 7bis. In 1982, a new branch was created to the south to Mairie d'Ivry, branching off at Maison Blanche.

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-patronised line of the Métro, with 120.7 million riders in 2004.

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, line 7's sister, may be merged with line 3bis to form a new line, with its western terminus at Château-Landon on line 7.

Path and stations

Path

Line 7 runs for 18.6 km (12 mi) completely underground, stopping at 38 stations; trains operate so as to alternate between the two southern terminals, splitting 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 different tunnels so as to avoid a now-unused loop at Porte de la Villette. It then goes down a 40‰ slope at the Canal St-Denis and then back up to stop at Corentin Cariou. Two stations afterwards, Line 7 reaches Stalingrad, an important transfer point in the Métro system, where the tracks turn and reposition themselves below Rue La Fayette.

Renamed stations

• 1 November 1926: Pont Notre-Dame renamed Pont Notre-Dame – Pont au Change.
• 15 April 1934: Pont Notre-Dame – Pont au Change renamed Châtelet.
• 6 October 1942: Boulevard de la Villette renamed Aubervilliers – Boulevard de la Villette.
• 10 February 1946: Pont de Flandre renamed Corentin Cariou and Aubervilliers – Boulevard de la Villette renamed Stalingrad.
• 1989: Chaussée d'Antin renamed as Chaussée d'Antin – La Fayette.
• 8 March 2007: Pierre Curie renamed as Pierre et Marie Curie.

Geographically accurate diagram of Paris metro line 7.

Tourism

Metro Line 7 passes near several places of interest :

• The Parc de la Villette with the Cités des Sciences et de l'Industrie.
• The Opera Garnier.
• The Latin Quarter.
• Place d'Italie and the Butte aux Cailles.
• One of Paris' "Chinatowns" in the south of the 13th arrondissement.

See also

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

External links

Paris metro station Porte d'Ivry – line 7.

• (French) RATP Official Website (French)
• (English) RATP English-language website
• (English) Interactive Map of the RER (from RATP's website)
• (English) Interactive Map of the Paris Métro (from RATP's website)
• (French) Mobidf website, dedicated to the RER (unofficial)
• (French) Metro-Pole website, dedicated to Paris public transport (unofficial)