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Take a leisurely walk on the Petite Ceinture: the sections that will be open to the public soon

undefined undefined 10 avril 2024 undefined 17h10

undefined undefined 23 avril 2024 undefined 14h09

The Editor

© Ralph Rozema - Shutterstock

By the end of 2026, an additional 4 kilometers will be opened along the Petite Ceinture. Let's take a look at the upcoming developments and the districts that will soon have access to the promenade spaces.

First rays of sunshine of the year, same searches on the net as last year. Where to stretch your legs in a place far from concrete, from the surrounding noise, that doesn't look like a park visited 30 times but is not in the middle of nowhere either? In Paris, the idea of a walk along the Petite Ceinture appeals to many.

This 32.5-kilometer double-track railway line allows everyone a green break around a Paris that has regained its charm, starting with its colors. Subject to numerous renovations, all focused on protecting wildlife and flora, several new sections are expected to open soon in various districts. Here they are.


The Petite Ceinture, the forgotten transformed 

If, at the end of the 19th century, the project of the Petite Ceinture Railway aimed to create a connection within the city, it was soon overshadowed by the Grande Ceinture, located about fifteen kilometers on average from the ring road. The construction of the metro, starting in 1903, was fatal for the attractiveness of the line, which continued to transport some goods until the destruction of the Auteuil viaduct during the Second World War.

And so begins sixty years of almost forgetting, and the hand of man disappears. Nature takes over. In 2006, SNCF Réseau and the City Hall decide to rehabilitate the Petite Ceinture into an "ecological corridor" - as seen on the City's website - but the work to be done is massive. The first section opens to the public in 2013, in the 15th arrondissement, under the leadership of Bertrand Delanoë, former mayor of the city; today, over a third of the line is accessible. The ten paths to explore can be found on the page of the Association de Sauvegarde de la Petite Ceinture (ASPCRF).


Many openings planned for 2024…

In the north of Paris, in the 18th arrondissement, the railway was only accessible through the At the Recyclerie and Hasard Ludique until 2023. Since then, a new section of about 200 meters has been opened on rue Vauvenargues and another one is almost finalized between the Recyclerie and rue du Poteau. More recently, the TLM, located on The Petite Ceinture in the 19th arrondissement, has also reopened its doors. Antoine Sander, president of the Promeneurs de la Petite Ceinture association, informed Actu Paris of a new project: a plot between Ornano and rue des Poissonniers, which would be managed by the jardin des Traverses. He would also like to connect it to the future Chapelle-Charbon park, in order to create a walkway from Rosa Parks to rue du Poteau. In the 20th arrondissement, another ambitious project has been making headlines: a brand new urban forest of 3.5 hectares and 1.6 kilometers long. In November 2022, the City announced the purchase of an old station along the Petite Ceinture to open a section with 2,000 newly planted trees, a clearing, and even access to the garden of the Charonne station. Opening is imminent in the spring.


… and 2025 

On the 15th side, the promenade should be extended with a 400-meter section, connecting the southwest entrance of Parc Georges-Brassens to Rue Brancion. The same extension project is planned for the stroll between Charenton and Bercy in the 12th, while a section connecting Ferme du Rail to Rue de Lorraine is expected to welcome Parisians seeking springtime freshness between 2025 and 2026.

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