Paris: the Métro

Dewi Williams

Comments/corrections to: Dewi Williams

Even after WWII, the Paris métro had first-class sections on its trains. The first-class car, or section of a car, was painted red, in contrast to the dull green of the other cars.

Parts of the métro ran above ground. Line 6 bridged the Seine at the Pont de Bercy. One of my early colour photos shows this bridge with a métro train. You can see the red First-class section of one car.

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Having crossed the river, line 6 ran some distance as an elevated line. This shows the viaduct at the Quai de la Gare, Austerlitz.

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Line 5 also ran above ground for some way. One section of it ran (still runs?) right through the Gare d'Austerlitz, crossing high above the main-line tracks and platforms. This is the view from the métro platform. A couple of things surprised me when I looked down at them. One was the tracks crossing within the plaform area (at the left of the station). And the other was the complete signal box/signal tower in the middle of the station. Although it was under the arched roof, the cabin looked just like a "normal" outdoors box, built to resist the weather.

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The metro trains received power from a third rail, but in this photo at Austerlitz, showing the Métro platforms rather than the main-line station, there also appeared to be overhead wires. Line 6 crossed the river by the pont d'Austerlitz and then descended underground by "Le Toboggan", a very steep ramp on a sharp curve.

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The same style of métro viaduct was used for the elevated section on line 2. I took two photos of this, one showing the entrance to La Chapelle station, and another nearby.

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