Every day, hundreds of thousands of you take the metro. And perhaps line 1 is part of your route! This 126-year-old lady is the oldest metro line in the city. It is also the first line in the world to have been automated, with almost no interruption to traffic. A remarkable feat at the time! Discover the secrets of the capital’s oldest metro line…
Line 1 is the oldest metro station in Paris
oldest metro station Paris @shutterstock
Inaugurated during the 1900 World’s Fair, it was the very first metro line and is therefore the oldest in the capital. It provided access to the exhibition’s points of interest (including, of course, the Eiffel Tower, inaugurated in 1889). Until the 1990s, you could even travel first class on it. Some carriages even had leather seats… Very comfortable! When it was launched in July 1900, trains ran every ten minutes, but six months later, traffic had increased. Passengers could then expect to take the metro every three minutes. A minor revolution!
It is one of the few lines in Paris to have tires
You may have noticed that line 1 has tires. This is simply to ensure better performance: traction, speed, and braking are much better than with conventional rail equipment. Lines 11, 4, 6, and 14 also have tires.
You could enter the Louvre through one of its stations
old Paris metro station @shutterstock
Have you ever wondered why the Louvre-Rivoli station is so richly decorated, like a museum? Well, that’s because during the World’s Fair , visitors could go directly to the Louvre museum via a special entrance. Clever, isn’t it?
It was the first metro line in the world to be converted into a fully automated line
Yes, line 1 was the first metro line in the world to change technology by becoming an automatic line with virtually no interruption to service. This was a feat at the time, which only increased its popularity. However, the very first fully automated metro in Paris is line 14. It is renowned for being modern and very pleasant!