If some metro stations are already starting to close their doors (hello Concorde), more than a month before the start of the Olympics, the situation will apparently only get worse in the coming weeks. Indeed, train traffic will suffer new disruptions on June 18 (a little), and then on July 18 (a lot). And the peak of this chaos is waiting for us on July 26, the day of the ceremony. We explain everything.
Two lines in trouble
And the chaos will start as soon as the lines open, as two of them will be operating at reduced service from the early morning. On one hand, we have the line 6, which will be closed in the first part of the day between Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile and La Motte-Picquet-Grenelle, thus advancing the terminus. To the west of the line of 8 stations. On the other hand, the line 9, which will be completely closed between the temporary terminus of Miromesnil and Porte de Saint-Cloud. Same fight, this time 14 stops are getting... well, stopped throughout the day. Good luck to those who work in the 16th. And the worst part is that it's not even the worst, since Île-de-France Mobilité has announced that new closures could still happen in the coming days, especially during an official announcement on June 12. There you have it.
On est 2 mois avant les JO et les stations de métro sont déjà fermés??
— cobrafouf135 (@felicie888) May 6, 2024
An obstacle course
But because good news never comes alone, July 26 still has many surprises in store for us. Indeed, starting from 6pm, more than 30 stations will be completely inaccessible. Yes, yes, more than 30. To sum it up, these are almost all of the stations located under the Seine or in its vicinity. So it's lines 5, between Bastille and Place d'Italie, 6 in its entirety, 11, between Rambuteau and Hôtel de Ville, and 13 between Varenne and Saint François-Xavier. There you go. Add to that the RER C between Gare d'Austerlitz and Garigliano, and you have a nice little surprise waiting for you. Just a reminder, from 7pm, all traffic by foot, bike, car, etc. between the right bank and the left bank will also be forbidden between the bridges of Bir-Hakeim and Austerlitz. Joy and happiness.
Et puis sinon (pendant tous les JO pas que la cérémonie d'ouverture) enjoy avoir la moitié des lignes de bus de Paris coupées ou déviées (et sans doute un certain nombre de stations de métro fermées "par mesure de sécurité")
— esmenard (@esmenard1) December 3, 2023
The light at the end of the tunnel
Luckily, amidst all this darkness and upcoming struggles, it seems that there is still a glimmer of hope. Indeed, in the face of all these closures, the RATP has announced an increase in trains on other lines, so that on average, a new metro will pass every 1 min 30/45. Well. There will be a lot of people, but at least we won't have to wait 25 minutes on the crowded platform. Plus, lines 5, 6, and RER C should reopen right after the ceremony. Another great piece of news (and this time, we're really sincere): metros running ALL NIGHT on automatic lines, namely lines 1, 4, and 14. That'll turn this hellish evening into a real chill time with friends, right?
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